Tarzan: The Circle of Life
by Grayson947
Summary: After an incident that injures his mother, Kala, Tarzan believes his family is better off without him and leaves to make it on his own. Yet his journey takes an unusual turn when he befriends a fast-talking meerkat, a big-hearted warthog, and a young lion cub named Simba, and the time spent with them leads Tarzan down a path to establish his place in the Circle of Life.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! _TARZAN_ AND _THE LION KING_ BELONG TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES.**

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Chapter I: A Prescription For Disaster...

Deep in the rainforests of Central Africa, there lived a legend, but unlike all legends, this one did not arise from humble beginnings...

It had been 5 years since Tarzan began his life as a gorilla. The crown prince of Arendelle, he was born while his parents were on a voyage to a wedding overseas, but had been carried off by a storm. After braving the elements, they escaped onto a dinghy, and made it to the jungles of Africa. With no hope of reaching home, or any rescue mission from Arendelle, Tarzan's parents, King Angarr and Queen Idunna decided that it was best to make the most of a bad situation. Using wreckage from the ship, and the natural resources around them, they built a house in a great big tree they saw when they came ashore. Yet even in paradise, all is not without danger...

Not long after settling in, the King and Queen were attacked by the mistress of the jungle: a leopardess by the name of Sabor. She only killed them out of self defense, an act she regretted deeply. Coming from the savannas to the east, Sabor, like all animals who roamed those lands, respected and valued the Circle of Life that connected all things in a delicate balance. Yet Tarzan was not orphaned for long. His cries were heard by a kindly gorilla named Kala, who rescued him and raised him as her own, in spite of the reluctance of her husband, Kerchak: the gigantic silverback of the troop. They had lost their son to Sabor as well, but Kala insisted that Tarzan would be a good son.

As he grew, he promised that he would be the best ape ever, so much so that even Kerchak would see in him what Kala saw. Yet now, he was surely in trouble, and he ran for his life. However, as he ran through an empty log, a spider's web tripped him up, causing him to collapse near a great big azobe tree. Something was after him, not a leopard, or another gorilla, but a monster with one gigantic eye. It let loose a mighty roar, before readying its claws for the kill. The little hairless ape ran towards the river, where he found, and startled, Tantor: an elephant calf he recently befriended.

"Run!" He shouted, "It's the Zugor!"

"A monster!?" Tantor asked, and, panicked, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Tantor, despite the fact he was one of the mightiest animals in all Africa, was not the bravest of elephants. In fact, his overreacting caused an elephant stampede two months earlier, due to a misunderstanding and Tarzan accepting a dare that nearly got someone killed. Nevertheless, Tantor remained friends with the young hairless ape afterwards. Tarzan grabbed onto Tantor's tail, trying to hold on as fast as he can so they could escape the predator chasing them. Yet it stopped them in their tracks, causing the elephant calf to run in the other direction, with Tarzan trying to hop onto him. The beast jumped down, and revealed itself to be none other than no predatory monster, but the young gorilla named Terkina: Tarzan's surrogate cousin. Made noticeable by her long hair that curled forward, she was there when Tarzan was rescued by Kala, and had been like a big sister to him ever since, even if her antics did sometimes get him into trouble.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! No fair catchin' a ride!" She shouted as she dropped the feathers she held in her hands, to simulate claws. Tarzan didn't even hear his cousin call out to him, as he was too concentrated on trying to hold onto Tantor. Terk climbed from tree to tree until she leapt down onto Tantor's back, with her arms on her hips. "Uh, hello? Whaddya think you're doing?" She asked her cousin, "Cuz whatever it is, you sure ain't doin' it too good."

"Is it still coming!?" Tantor asked, looking back at his friend, but he then tripped over a large tree root, which sent both Terk and Tarzan tumbling over, front first, onto the forest floor, while he flew sitting down at the base of a tree. That was all he needed to snap out of his funk. He regained his wits and said, "Hey, wait a moment. There's no such thing as the Zugor. He's nothing but an imaginary creature."

"Terk was only pretending," Tarzan explained, "So I could practice running for my life. I'm too slow. If I don't get faster, something terrible's gonna eat me, like a leopard."

"You're the worst gorilla ever," Terk chuckled, "If the Zugor ever did come down from Dark Mountain, you'd be its dinner by now." The troop had just recently settled in a mountainous rainforest to the east, as their usual foraging grounds were inundated from flooding of the Congo River.

"But I bet I could catch you." Tarzan boasted, recovering his stance to try and catch Terk.

"Oh? I'd like to see ya try," she said with a sly grin. Tarzan pounced at his cousin, but she just moved out of the way and said, "Missed me!" He tried again, but once again, Terk moved out of the way too fast for him; this time up a tree. She began shaking her butt to tease her cousin into trying to catch her. With a sigh she remarked, "It's sad, really." After a while, she climbed down and ran off, with Tarzan close after her heels.

"Oh, this is a prescription for disaster," Tantor said happily, relieved to see his two friends having so much fun, running around the base of an old tree, jumping through the holes made by the roots.

_Oh, the power to be strong_

_And the wisdom to be __wise_

_All these things will come to you in time_

As Tarzan chased after Terk, he found himself landing face first into a tree root. There were admittedly many things that his surrogate family could do that he couldn't. Next, Terk was swinging from tall trunks of bamboo, but when Tarzan tried to keep up, he grabbed an opposite stalk with both hands, only to fall down, since his feet worked differently than Terk's did. They raced past three of their baby cousins, Taug, Gozan and Chulk, who were bored and wanted to have some fun as well. Nearby, Kerchak was drinking from a nearby stream when Tarzan and Terk ran past him. He rolled his eyes in annoyance at Tarzan's antics, but was surprised to see the three babies running behind the two. He wondered what exactly they were up to.

_On this journey that you're making,_

_It's you who'll reach the peak_

Next Terk and Tarzan made their way into the treetops, and began climbing a vine with their feet. Terk got to the other side with no problem, and while Tarzan was initially successful crossing, he ended up losing his balance. Terk looked back to see him getting all tangled in the vine, due to his lack of opposable toes. After that, they raced through the mid-layers of the rainforest. Terk ran to one great branch and jumped across to the opposite tree, just as Tarzan was about to catch up with her. He stopped just at the sight of the branch before him.

_Son of man, look to the sky_

_Lift your spirit, set it free_

_(Set it free!)_

_Someday, you'll walk tall with pride_

_Son of man, a man in time you'll be_

"C'mon! You can make it!" Terk called out from the opposite tree, encouraging him to jump. Tarzan judged the distance, nervous to make the jump, but he figured that if his cousin could do it, then so could he.

"Get it together, Tarzan. You can do this..." he muttered to himself. The fur-less ape backed up for a running start, and when he jumped, he tried to grab the branch, but he was just inches away from it that he couldn't reach. Tarzan fell from a height, but luckily, they weren't too high up just yet. He landed with a thud and began skidding down a hill, until he landed into a large rock sticking out of the ground, like a sore thumb. Terk winced as she saw the impact, but looked to see if Tarzan was alright. He lay down atop the rock, which soon gave way from its position, and he held on for dear life, as if on a sled. The three babies were in the way, giggling and laughing when they saw their cousin coming down the hill on the rock. He saw them and yelled, "Watch out!" However, they didn't get out of the way. Instead, the three babies jumped onto Tarzan and were soon sliding downhill with him.

_Son of man, look to the sky_

_Lift your spirit, set it free_

_(Set it free!)_

_Someday, you'll walk tall with pride_

_Son of man, a man in time you'll be_

"Tree! Tree!" Terk called out, trying to warn her cousins. Tarzan pushed Gozan off of his face just in time to see the tree that was in their way. He ducked to avoid it, but failed to notice the tree root which sent all four of them flying in midair. The three babies landed safely into the bushes with their large leaves, and all were laughing from having so much fun.

_Son of man's a man for all to see..._

Tarzan, meanwhile had landed into a nearby mud wallow, also thrilled by the experience. Yet the fun was brought to an end when the babies' mothers, having seen the commotion, rushed to the safety of their sons.

"Are you alright?" One mother asked, as she held Gozan close, but then turned to Tarzan and said, "What is wrong with you? He's just a baby." She then told Gozan, "I don't want you to play with that one anymore."

"One of these days, he's going to hurt someone," muttered the second gorilla as the trio wandered back to their meal with their babies riding on their backs.

"Kala must be out of her mind. He's a menace." The third mother griped. This left Tarzan reminded that he was looked down upon by the rest of his troop, save for Terk and his mother.

"Nice! Almost wiped out half the troop!" Terk laughed, "Oh, it's like the elephant stampede all over. I can imagine Kerchak's reaction." Then she propped her hair up and scowled, to mimic the troop's silverback and said in a low, grim tone, "'You almost killed someone!'" Then she styled her hair back to mimic her aunt, Kala and said, "'He's only a child, he'll learn. Just give him a chance,'" in a weepy and sympathetic voice, then switched back to mocking Kerchak, "He will never survive in the jungle! He can't run, he can't climb; he's a danger to all of us! Now, I think I'll grunt impressively.'" She then let out a grunt, and then just began laughing. Yet Tarzan didn't find it particularly funny at all. It only reminded him of that time Kerchak disapproved of him from the stampede he accidentally caused. Seeing this, Terk went over to console the hairless ape.

"Hey, cousin. You know I'm only kidding, right?" She asked, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. In the time since that stampede, Terk had gotten a lot closer with Tarzan, and acted more of a big sister to her cousin, rather than lounging around with Flynt and Mungo. Tarzan only nodded sadly in response. Then Terk had an idea, "C'mon, let's go see if we can go termite fishing. Maybe we'll get loads more than usual this time!" Tarzan only smiled sympathetically, since it would help him get his mind off things, and escape Kerchak's ire. Tarzan hadn't tried termites yet, but from what Terk told him, they sounded quite tasty.

...

That night, with an unsuccessful attempt at the termite mounds, Tarzan was still depressed about what happened earlier, thinking about it even as Kala tried to tuck him into the nest. She could tell something was bothering her son.

"Tarzan, what's wrong?" She asked, "Sweetie, you can tell me."

"I'm not a very good ape," Tarzan told her, "I'm too slow, and I can't outrun the Zugor."

"The Zugor?" She asked with a laugh, and sat down with her son "Tarzan, you know that the Zugor doesn't exist. That's just an ancient ghost story."

"But if he was real, he'd eat me..."

"I'll tell you what, if the Zugor ever comes after you, I'll protect you. I promise."

"But mom, then you'd be in danger because of me." Tarzan just hung his head and sat on the ledge of the tree branch. "Everyone would be better off if I wasn't around..." Suddenly, an idea sparked into Kala's head.

"Follow me," she said, "There's something that you need to see." Kala let Tarzan ride her back as she took him towards a dead tree that separated a rift that led straight down to the valley below. She explained to her son, "This tree once stood here all on its own, long before you were born."

"What happened to it?" Tarzan asked curiously.

"Well, one day, there was a major storm; the wind blew so strong that the tree finally fell over," she replied as they crossed to the opposite side of the rift. "Though, look at that." Tarzan looked ahead, as his mother led them both towards what appeared to be one great tree, surrounded by multiple other trees. It was an awe-inspiring sight to behold. As they came closer, Kala explained, "This tree is the strongest tree in all the rainforest, because it has tens of thousands of trunks all helping at once to lift the branches into the sky. Each trunk is different than the others. Some are thin, others are thick. Some are knotted and some are straight."

"That one looks fat," said Tarzan humorously as he looked around him. Kala couldn't help but laugh at her son's remark

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? Though they all help to make the tree strong enough to weather through the fiercest of storms. They're all connected, like a family."

"Like our family?"

"Exactly. You need your family, Tarzan, and the troop needs you."

"No one needs me..."

"I do, and so does your cousin, Terk." Tarzan smiled at his mother and jumped into her arms for an embrace. "And I always will." Kala did not know it, but she had explained to her son a concept he would soon learn a great deal of in the years to come. It would be a lesson he would cherish for all time.

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A/N: Hey! For those of you familiar with my works, welcome to the first ever crossover and Disney fanfiction I've written. Huge thanks to TC-96 of DeviantArt for allowing me to use her drawing for the cover image! So, if you're unfamiliar with the premise, this basically is an alternate take on the midquel, _Tarzan II_, which focuses on Tarzan's childhood before he met Jane. However, it definitely takes a turn towards _The Lion King_ later on, so expect to find some familiar and beloved characters.

If you have paid attention to the little Easter egg I placed in there, then that comes from the hype two years ago when the directors of _Frozen_ confirmed that Tarzan is in fact Elsa and Anna's long lost brother. The names for the three babies are actually Mangani names from the original _Tarzan_ novels that the films are based off of. Let me know what you guys think, and leave a review down below! Mind you, I'm still a bit nervous, since I've never done a Disney fanfic before, so hopefully I won't get emails from them for copyright infringement.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! _TARZAN_ AND _THE LION KING_ BELONG TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES.**

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Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

The following day, the troop was off foraging for what they usually ate: fruit, vegetation, roots and the occasional insects such as ants and termites. Gorillas' days were usually spent between periods of rest, travel and foraging. Here in the mountains, finding food was more of a challenge, and they didn't drink any water because the plants they ate had plenty of water in them already, therefore they saw no need to drink. Having eaten their fill, the troop was on the way back across the rift to their nests and the remainder of their territory. Tarzan and his three baby cousins were all playing as the troop moved on back to the remainder of their territory.

"Ooh, Watch out for the teeth. Look out for the teeth!" Terk exclaimed as she also joined in the fun, chasing after her cousins. All in all, it seemed as if it would be another fun and ordinary day. Soon, though, a storm rolled in, and soon it was raining. This was a common occurrence in the rainforest, but it meant now that crossing the rift could present new dangers for the troop. Kerchak went ahead first, to test the strength of the hollowed out tree. When he was midway across, he believed it safe, and nodded for the rest of the troop to follow. Kala followed her mate, then the other members of the troop followed. Only Tarzan was having difficulty climbing up, as the moss along the wood was starting to become slippery, and his muscles were still developing. He fell off once, but got up again. When he finally was halfway onto the log, he found Kerchak staring down at him, initially in disapproval, but he only sighed and shook his head out of pity.

"C'mon, Tarzan. Quit fooling around," said Terk, as she pulled her cousin up, trying to cover for him. Though Kerchak seemed cold and stern, he truly cared for his surrogate son, ever since he helped to defeat Tublat, an overly aggressive male gorilla who was once a member of the troop, until he was banished by Kerchak for his violent tendencies. Tublat would've usurped Kerchak from power during a fight the two had, but Tarzan luckily intervened and broke Tublat's nose. Since that night, Kerchak was secretly grateful for the help, and was proud of Tarzan as only a father could. As the troop was nearly across the way, though, trouble began to stir. The water pooling underneath the tree's roots began to erode the ledge of the cliff, and caused one of the supports to give way.

Upon hearing this, Kerchak knew something was wrong. He looked back, and when he saw what was happening, he yelled, "Run!" Following their silverback's example, the other gorillas ran as fast as they could to the other side of the rift. As more of the ledge eroded away, the tree began to tilt back. Yet as he tried to keep up with the rest of the troop, Tarzan realized that he was still too slow than his cousins. While his cousins were able to outrun him, he fell backwards, hitting a dead branch stump and fell into the trunk. Desperately he clung to the bark of the old tree for dear life, trying to climb back up and out of the danger. Kala remained behind, so as to check to see if everyone was accounted for. As Gozan came down, she instantly knew something wasn't right.

"Where's Tarzan!?" She called out, searching on the bark for her son.

"Mom! Help me!" Tarzan called out in response. Kala looked down and saw her son trying to make his way up the interior of the bark. Horrified, she reached out her arm to try and pull him up, vines snapping all around her as the roots were threatening to let go. Tarzan stretched his hand out to grab on, when suddenly... WHAM! A root from the dead tree snapped and struck Kala on the side of her face. Tarzan could only watch as his mother recoiled from the impact while he began to fall. His face frozen in fear, the young boy quickly grabbed a hold of a vine, spun around as he hit the cliff and landed on a rocky crag jutting out of the cliff, while the tree descended into the valley below.

Still reeling from the pain, Kala limped as she looked down over the cliff, believing her surrogate child to have died in the crash. Everyone in the troop was shocked and horrified by what just happened. Immediately, Kerchak rushed towards his mate, holding her in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Kala..." he said as she wept into his shoulder. It was like watching that leopard hunting their son all over again.

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When Tarzan finally came to, he looked around, trying to reorient himself with his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was the tree falling with him inside, but he managed to escape in the nick of time. He also remembered that his mother was injured. He had to get to her fast.

"Mom? Terk? Where is everyone?" He asked himself as he climbed up the cliff with difficulty. When he made it to the top, he called out, "Mom! Where are you?" Yet by the time he made it back to the nests, everyone believed him to already have been gone.

"He was there, Kerchak. I almost had him, and then...h-he was gone," Kala sobbed as she held Kerchak tightly. Tarzan came upon the scene, hiding himself so as not to anger Kerchak again.

"There was nothing that either of us could've done," said the silverback.

"I would've done anything. I would've given my life for his own," Kala told her mate. Those words haunted Tarzan as he stepped back. He believed that his mother was hurt because of him. The conversation of three female gorillas then caught his attention as he eavesdropped on them.

"Poor Kala. It was so horrible."

"He nearly got her killed too."

"I hate to admit it, but...she's better off without him."

"I think we all are..."

Tarzan misinterpreted this as being a sign that all his worst fears were realized. He ran off into the depths of the jungle, climbing up a rocky hilltop that overlooked the nests. He took one sad look back at his family's territory, believing everyone in the troop would be better off without him. His mother was hurt because he wasn't fast enough, and he was nothing but a burden on the other gorillas.

_Can someone tell me where I belong?_

_Where I should go?_

_Can someone show me where I'm going wrong?_

_I need to know..._

The boy took one last sad look back at the nests, visible from the height he was at, and then looked forward as if leaving behind his past. He then ran off on a quest to survive and find his way.

_Why do I hurt the ones I love_

_With everything I do?_

As he traveled along the flow of the nearby Lualaba River, Tarzan followed it towards the east, where he would likely go towards. Along the way to drink water from a nearby lake, a herd of wildebeest charged past him. These animals were new and terrifying to him; he'd never seen any other antelope, except for bongo or bushbuck. Yet as he made his way to the water's edge to take a drink, a hippo was right in front of him. Kala warned him that hippos were territorial animals and were not to be trifled with. Seeing the animal closing its mouth, Tarzan ran as fast as he could, not wanting to get injured.

_If I can't be what they want of me,_

_Then what am I to do?_

As the sun began to set to the west, Tarzan continued to run, not wanting to be charged by the hippos for encroaching on their territory. When night fell, he made a nest high in the trees.

_I can't go home._

_(I can't go home)_

_Oh, this much I know_

Early the next morning, he began gathering fruit to eat, only for a baboon to steal it from him. When Tarzan tried to get it back, the whole troop stormed him. Tarzan knew that baboons were constantly on guard, and that this one was a sentry, one of many who would patrol the troop's border and sniff the air for predators such as leopards. If they caught its scent, they usually formed a posse and scared it away, and they did, in Tarzan's case.

_It might be better if I just disappeared_

_Alone..._

He spent all the remainder of the day travelling eastwards. Though, he would sometimes travel north as well, when the path was too dangerous along the mountains. Tarzan knew that, by now, he was far away from his family's territory, due to the unfamiliar trees he saw. As much as he remembered, he had never traveled this far away from home before, but he would still travel, if it was necessary, to find a place where he could be accepted.

_I've got to find my way_

_(Got to find my way)_

_And I will survive, some way_

_If only there was a place where I could be just me_

That night, as he tried to build a nest on the ground, he began grabbing leaves from bushes until he accidentally plucked a tail feather from a nearby marabou stork. The giant bird, rightly angry at Tarzan for tearing out one of its feathers, began to chase him, earning the young boy a sleepless night. Then, the following morning, he began leaping atop stones along a river, but as he fell into the water, he then began to swim his way to shore.

_If only there was a place where I could be just me..._

When he finally made it across, Tarzan plopped himself down by the base of a great kishongo tree. Hugging his knees to his chest, the young boy began to cry, he was all alone with no family, no troop of his own. He also deeply missed his mother, Terk, Tantor and all his cousins, since he would probably never see them all again. Leaving home was harder for him than he thought. It was all so overwhelming and saddening at the same time.

"Who's that crying beneath my tree?" A voice called out from above, and Sabor, the leopardess who ruled the jungles, saw Tarzan's face. Instantly she felt a twinge of pain in her chest, remembering that he was the baby whose parents she killed long ago. '_It can't be..._' she thought. The leopardess couldn't bear to mention the fact that she killed the boy's parents; he probably would never forgive her for that, regardless of her reasons. However, seeing Tarzan in such a sorry state broke her heart. It reminded her of her own cub, Chui. He was everything to her ever since she brought him into the world. Yet he was killed by baboons one day while she was out hunting impala for the both of them.

Her cub's death was the reason she left the savanna, and came to the jungle, to heal the pain in her heart and start anew. Yet even so, the leopardess felt her maternal instincts kick in once more. Sabor leapt down from the tree and slowly approached Tarzan.

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, the boy turned around and saw the leopardess coming up towards him. At first he was terrified, and began to back away. Back in his troop's usual territory, Kala taught her son that leopards were dangerous animals, as they were known to hunt and kill gorillas, and he knew who this leopardess was from such stories. Seeing the fear on his face, the big cat reached out her right arm, retracting her claws so that he wouldn't be afraid of her.

"Wait! It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," she said, knowing that he'd be able to understand her by now. She'd also seen his troop while she was hunting antelope and Colobus monkeys, and would occasionally hear the name they gave him. "You're Kala's son. Tarzan, right?" She asked him. Tarzan was surprised that Sabor knew his mother, as he heard stories of how fearsome she was.

"You know my mom?" He asked in disbelief. How was it possible that she knew who his mother was?

"That's not important," she interrupted. The leopardess had no intention of telling the little boy about how Kala rescued him from her when he was still a baby. Sabor then asked, "What are you doing all alone out here, in the middle of the jungle?" Tarzan only slumped down and looked at his knees. She could tell that he didn't want to bring that up. The leopardess made her way close to the hairless ape and purred to comfort him. "I'm sorry I brought that up...you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Tarzan was puzzled why Sabor, of all animals, was trying to make him feel better, but the feel of her soft fur against his skin did feel good.

"My mom...she got hurt because I'm not a good ape," Tarzan confessed, "I'm a danger to my family..."

"No, sweetie, you're not dangerous at all," the leopardess replied, "I know how you feel. When I was still a cub, I thought the same way you did. I was scared that I wasn't able to make it out on my own."

"How come?"

"Well, I wasn't that great at climbing yet, back when I still lived in the Pride Lands."

"The Pride Lands?" Tarzan asked. He never heard about a place such as that before. Such lands were unknown to his troop, since they usually lived far to the west, along the Congo. That's when an idea sparked itself in Sabor's head.

"Hop on my back and hold tight," she told him, "We're going up my tree." Tarzan, while still unsure as to trust her, climbed onto the leopardess' back. Sabor then leapt up into the tree and began to climb, using her claws to act as anchor points. Leopards were skilled at climbing trees, and could make even higher leaps than monkeys or other primates. In fact, Sabor was even able to drag the carcasses of antelope she hunted into the tree she rested in. It was also where she stored much of her food. Before long, they were at the highest, and sturdiest branch in the tree, which had a good view of the surrounding area. Sabor pointed to the east, towards a great open plain and said, "See that plain over there, with the big rock? All that the light touches is where I called home for most of my life: the Pride Lands."

Tarzan looked in awe at the sight. As the sun peaked over the horizon, his eyes beheld the vast savanna, a gigantic lone baobab tree plentiful with leaves, and a great big rock that dominated the landscape. He'd never seen anything like the Pride Lands before, they were so incredible. In the distance, he could see herds of animals grazing peacefully or even running freely, huge flocks of birds that he'd never seen before flying gracefully in the skies, and he could hear a distant yet mighty roar.

"Wow... it's beautiful," Tarzan only uttered out. He had the biggest smile on his face. Sabor could tell he wanted to go there, but it would be dangerous for a young hairless ape to survive out there on his own, but she was glad that it could cheer him up.

"Isn't it?" She asked, smiling up at the boy, "All that we see exists together in a fragile balance. That's why we have to understand that balance, and respect all the animals, from the tiniest ant, to the mightiest gorilla."

"But, don't you eat gorillas?"

Sabor laughed and said, "No, I prefer antelope over your kind. Though, there's a reason to why we must be respectful of all animals: it's to allow nature to follow its intended course, and that way trees and plants can continue to grow, and many other animals can live and thrive. It's something my mother taught me as a cub. It's because we are all connected in the Circle of Life."

Tarzan recalled what his mother told him the previous night when she showed him that gigantic tree across the rift, and how its multiple trunks worked together to support it and made it strong enough to brave even the fiercest of storms. It was the same concept, only now Sabor gave it a name.

"So, everyone is connected?" He asked.

"Yes, but not every animal believes in it," Sabor told him, "Not all animals respect the Circle of Life. Those that don't are those who want more than their fair share of food, and if they had their way, everything would be destroyed. There would be no food; no water. Everyone would go hungry. That's why we must do our part to ensure that the Circle of Life can continue its intended course." She leapt down with the hairless ape on her back, and let him down onto the ground. "So, feel better?" She asked.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied, "I think I know where I need to go from here."

"Well, I hope you find your way," Sabor told him, purring as she nuzzled him as a sign of how she was beginning to like him, "And if you ever stop by my tree again, you're more than welcome to visit me. Take care, and stay safe...Tarzan." With that, Sabor leapt back up into the trees, ready to catch her breakfast. Yet she watched Tarzan run off and smiled happily. This would not be the last time they would meet though. The two would see each other again in an unexpected manner, but the leopardess would never forget that smile on his face.

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A/N: That's right! Sabor, in this story, is originally from the Pride Lands! I felt like Disney treated her almost like an actual animal than a character in her own right. So, I decided to give her some backstory and flesh her out a bit more, so that she would be more interesting and have a more meaningful role in Tarzan's life. This won't be her only appearance in the story, so expect to see her make a few more appearances later on. Now, the name of Sabor's cub, Chui, is actually the Swahili word for leopard. Anyway, let me know what you think in the reviews, and make sure to favorite, follow and as always, stay tuned for the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! ****_TARZAN_**** AND ****_THE LION KING_**** BELONG TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES.**

**So, I would recommend listening to the song "Warthog Rhapsody" while reading the second half of this chapter. Ok, enough foreword: onto the story!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Escape from Dark Mountain

On wandering further, Tarzan found himself in a ravine at the heart of Dark Mountain, dotted by geysers and completely littered with the bones of elephants who died long before he was born. He wandered the ravine, knowing that if Tantor was here, he would probably faint out of fear. The young boy, in an attempt to reach the Pride Lands, ended up taking a wrong turn. Now he was also frightened, as this was also where the Zugor lived. Terk always warned him about the place from when she tried to help him be a better gorilla and live up to Kerchak's expectations of him. Now, he was actually here. Not even birds dared venture to nest here. The lack of food and water made the place virtually inhospitable to any animal trapped in here. Yet even so, it also was the ideal vantage point for predators, such as the Zugor.

He climbed down the ledge he came across and struggled to make his way up another. When he reached the top, he walked forward and looked out over the tusks of an elephant that had died long before he was born. Ahead of him, he could see the desolate land marked with the skeletal remains, where elephants would go to die. Tantor spoke about this place as if it was a forbidden place for calves like himself to even go to: The Elephant Graveyard. Everywhere, the grizzly remains of these noble creatures could be seen, as if one could feel the fear these animals felt in their last moments. Tarzan looked around, wondering if the Zugor was living amongst these bones.

"Hello?" He called out, "Is anyone there?" All that came back in response was an echo. No answer. He tried again, still receiving no answer. It was then that he figured that Tantor was most likely right: there was no Zugor at all. Feeling confident that the Zugor was nowhere in sight, and enjoying the reverberating effect of the sound against the stone, Tarzan decided to enjoy himself while he was there. With a playful roar, he bellowed out, "I am the Zugor! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Suddenly, a sinister cackling frightened Tarzan and he jumped back, shaking in fear at the terrifying sound. Then, from out of the elephant's skull, a trio of grayish spotted hyenas emerged, making their way towards the hairless ape. They were the ones behind the laughter. The one that emerged from the nasal cavity was obviously the matriarch, as she was bigger than the two hyenas behind her. Hyena clans were often dominated by the females, similar to how elephant herds were usually led by a matriarch. Tarzan had never seen a hyena before in his life, but he knew about them from tales his mother would tell him from when she was younger. From these stories, he heard about how frightening they were: they could bite through bones, and were so vicious that they even attacked each other. Yet gorillas never usually ran into hyenas. The rainforests weren't as well accommodating for them.

"Well, well, well, Banzai. What have we got here?" The clan matriarch asked the first male walking behind her.

"Hmm, I dunno Shenzi," replied Banzai, before turning to the third male and asking, "What do you think, Ed?"

The second male, Ed, just began laughing crazily and incoherently. The trio soon began circling Tarzan; the crazed look in their eyes definitely reminded the boy of Sabor's warning of how not all animals respected the Circle of Life.

Banzai sneered and said, "Yeah, just what I was thinking. A scrawny little _trespasser!_"

"What in the world is it, anyway? Some kinda freakishly born bird?" Shenzi asked, eyeing Tarzan curiously.

"I'm not a bird, I'm an ape," Tarzan argued.

"Ha! A hairless one at that," Banzai commented, "Where's your troop?"

Tarzan was about to reply, but Shenzi butted in and asked him, "Do you know what we _do_ to apes who leave their troop?"

"L-Listen, don't mind me...I'm just passing through," Tarzan said as he tried to find a way out, but Shenzi blocked him off.

"What's the hurry?" She asked, "We'd _looove_ you to stick around for breakfast."

"Yeaaaaah! We can have whatever's... 'monkeying' around!" Banzai joked, which got few laughs from Ed.

"Oh, wait, wait, wait. I got one, I got one," Shenzi replied, trying to control her laughter, "Make mine a 'gorilla' fillet. Whatcha think?" She began whooping in laughter until Ed started babbling and making signs with his paws to try and talk to her. She asked, "What Ed? What is it?"

"Hey, did we order this breakfast to go?" Banzai asked.

"No. Why?"

"Cause, _there it goes!_" The hyenas could see Tarzan running for his life, trying to find a way out of the Elephant Graveyard. Instantly they began to tail him. Despite their size, they were one of the fastest animals in Africa. Tarzan found himself trapped at a dead end, when he noticed the hyenas had finally caught up to him. He began to climb up a cliff, just barely escaping a swipe from Shenzi's claws. When he reached the top, he found himself at a decline too steep to descend, which led right into a patch of bramble and thorns. A sudden growling made him notice the predators running towards him, their fangs barred as a sign that they intended to eat him. With no options left, the boy jumped and ran as fast as he could down the hill, until he fell down a hole and began sliding down through one of the tunnels that dotted Dark Mountain. Tarzan tried his best not to get injured in the ride down when a vent of steam shot him straight up another hole and out below the hill, and just past the thorns.

The hyenas, meanwhile, continued to run down the hill in pursuit, but then Banzai saw the thorn bush down below and began to slow down just as the hill led to a ridge that curved upwards. He managed to stop himself just inches away and sighed in relief. Though, he realized what was going to happen after he felt Shenzi run into him.

"Not again..." he muttered, as Ed ran into Shenzi. The momentum propelled him off the ridge as if it was a ramp, and he landed straight into the thorns. Banzai jumped and hollered in pain, as he was completely covered in thorns, like a pin-cushion. Shenzi and Ed just broke out into uncontrollable laughter at the sight of Banzai in agony as he tried to climb up. He limped away towards safety, knowing that this would make sitting a real challenge for him. Yet Shenzi then saw a little black dot on the horizon heading back into the rainforest.

"Hey! There he goes! _There_ he goes!" She shouted. By now, though, Tarzan had managed to get far enough to where they couldn't keep up.

Banzai pulled out some thorns from his left paw, spat them out and said, "So, what're we waiting for? Let's go get him!"

"There ain't no way I'm going in there," said Shenzi, indicating a journey through the thorn bush, "What, you want me comin' out looking like _you_? Cactus Butt?"

Appropriately, Banzai removed a series of thorns from his butt, then spat them right into Ed's nose, causing the latter to yelp out in pain.

"But what if Scar finds out?" Banzai asked.

"You gotta be kidding me. That little runt's too weak to be a threat to Scar," Shenzi reminded her underling, "Besides, he won't last a day out there on his own anyway. And _if_ he comes back here, we'll kill him."

At this, Banzai grinned and yelled out, "Yeah! You hear that? If you ever come back, we'll _kill_ ya!"

* * *

Yet by that point, Tarzan was well out of earshot, and had managed to reach the safety of the rainforest. Not looking back for a second, he knew he needed to get as far away from the hyenas as possible. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel that something else was now following him. The hairless ape was blindly rushing through the undergrowth of the forest floor, when all of a sudden, he was stopped dead in his tracks by a large snout blocking his way. Tarzan backed up to see that a warthog was in his path. He'd been familiar with bushpigs and red river hogs, and he knew that warthogs were found in the woodlands near his troop's usual foraging grounds, but he'd never seen one with his own eyes, and he'd certainly never been this close to one.

"I-I'm sorry! I d-didn't mean to get in the way. Just please don't eat me!" He pleaded. Tarzan believed that, after hearing about how brutish male river hogs and bushpigs could be, that this warthog would likely eat him, given that the pigs he knew of sometimes ate carrion.

"Easy, easy there little guy. I'm not gonna eat you," the pig replied, as he lowered his head down to Tarzan's level. He had dark reddish fur all over his body, a black mane and tuft of fur on his upwards pointing tail, two short ivory tusks, and a prominent bottom right tooth on his lower jaw.

"Huh? Really?" Tarzan asked, relieved that this warthog wasn't aggressive as the pigs he was familiar with. "Then, why were you following me?"

"Well, gee, I saw you pass by and figured a little hairless ape like you shouldn't be out here all alone," said the warthog, revealing that he wasn't angry, but just concerned for the boy's safety. Tarzan was still astonished that the pig was able to tell he was an ape. Warthogs, like all pigs, were smarter than they appeared. In fact, they had an intelligence that was greater even than jackals or wild dogs.

"But what about you? Don't you have anyone else?"

"Yeah, I've got someone with me, but most animals give me a pretty wide berth."

"Even leopards?"

The warthog, reluctantly, told the boy, "Yeah, I drive almost everyone away. Most animals see me coming and they run for cover. They just can't get out of the way in time."

"Ooh, I bet it's got something to do with your tusks, huh?" Tarzan was aware that male pigs had tusks that they used for self-defense against other males, and predators.

"Actually most animals say that I ruin their appetite."

"Whoa! That's cool. It's like you've got some special power or something."

"Special power? Well it's really powerful, alright..."

At that moment, a voice called out, "PUMBAA! What's the hold up!?"

The warthog, aptly named Pumbaa, looked in the direction of the voice and called back, "Uh, be right there Timon!"

Tarzan could see in Pumbaa a kindred soul, along with this Timon figure, whoever he was in the boy's mind. There was no doubt about it. If he was going to survive on his own from now on, he would have to stick with them both. Despite the rough encounter he had that morning, the rest of the day would prove out leading to quite the adventure. He asked Pumbaa, "Hey, can I come?"

Pumbaa looked back and replied, "Uh...sure. The more the merrier!" He figured that Timon wouldn't mind having a third animal learning from the two of them. Eagerly, the young boy caught up to the warthog with a new hope that he could stay with the two, and find someplace where he might belong. He had no idea, though, that this was going to be one of his most interesting moments in his life yet.

* * *

As he followed Pumbaa to where he lived, Tarzan soon learned who exactly Timon was: a fast talking little meerkat from a colony in the Pride Lands called the Pit of Shame. They were so low on the food chain that they lived underground, terrified of whatever would eat them. Pumbaa explained that he met Timon one day when the little guy was looking for a dream home away from the monotonous life in the colony, where he could live life how he wanted. It took a while of looking, but during that time, but the meerkat bonded with the warthog to the point where they were best of friends.

When Timon saw Tarzan, he was unsure of what to think, but from the way the boy walked, he rightly assumed that Pumbaa had found some hairless ape.

"Pumbaa, who's the kid?" The meerkat asked.

"Well, you remember how we first met each other?" Pumbaa asked, sheepishly. Timon only took a moment to put two and two together and knew the truth.

"Ah, who cares. He's in." The mongoose stated, "Besides, he's a hairless ape. He's not gonna cause any problem whatsoever." He then asked, "So what's your name, kid?"

"Tarzan," the boy replied, still processing the fact that Timon easily accepted the thought of him living alongside the duo.

"Well Tarzan, get ready for a taste of the good life!" Timon exclaimed as he indicated that he was more than willing to teach the boy all about their lifestyle.

"Just watch and learn, kid," said Pumbaa as he led Tarzan to a bush with large leaves, "We've got it all worked out!"

"_Now if you want a role model, of a life most blissfully led,_" Timon said as he swung from a vine he made into a swing, then he pulled it down to reveal Pumbaa relaxing by on a nest of woven leaves. "_Then look no further than Pumbaa here, than this laid-back quadruped._" Pumbaa then slid from a series of huge leaves down into a wallow of mud. Tarzan only stuck out his tongue in disgust at the sight, but warthogs loved wallowing in the mud, as it washed away parasites and helped them stay cool.

"_Relaxation's the name of the game. Be cool, and be thick skinned,_" Pumbaa said as he slowly sank into the brown clayey mud. Tarzan looked in to see if he would come up, and he did, albeit covered in mud and said, as a bubble rose behind him and popped, "_Let my lifestyle be your reference frame!_"

"_As long as you stand upwind_," said Timon, pinching his nose as he looked at Tarzan.

The meerkat then jumped onto Pumbaa's back, and the warthog sped down the mud wallow like a log down the rapids of the Congo River. "_Your guide must be this rhapsody._" Tarzan stuck his knuckles in the mud, to test the waters, only to pull it back out at the thought of wallowing in it. Though he had little time to react as Timon and Pumbaa came back across, sending a wave of mud to splatter down upon him. Pumbaa then got up from the nest that he and Timon shared, and explained and demonstrated to Tarzan how he got ready for the day.

"_I gets up when I likes_,"

"_He's got it all worked out!_"

_"I plans the day ahead,_"

"_He's got it all worked out!_"

"_When inspiration strikes,_"

"_He's got it all worked out!_"

"_I go right back to bed."_

"_He's got it all worked out!_" Pumbaa then fell back into the nearby river, and Timon leapt onto his friend's belly as if it were a raft. Suddenly, while Timon was still singing, Tarzan was pulled onto Pumbaa's belly as the trio floated down a waterfall as the nearby river bent and the current swiftly carried them downstream. The boy's face froze in shock as he saw where they were heading, and held onto the warthog for dear life, as he remembered a few days ago when he slid downhill on that rock. "_But though he may not be one of nature's dynamos, his mind is on the ball and far from comatose. Don't dismiss the warthog philosophy. Take it from he! He's got it all worked out._"

"_Take it from me!_"

"_He's got it all worked out._"

Tarzan only screamed as the trio flew off from the second waterfall they approached and fell into a pool of mud below. This time, however, he learned from his belly-flop at Elephant Falls and landed in the mud on his back. After a mud-bath and a quick rinse off in the waterfalls, Tarzan was snapped out of his adrenaline rush and joined Timon and Pumbaa both in some bushes formed in the shapes of rather comfortable armchairs until the sun was midway in the sky.

"I'm starved," said the warthog, who was definitely looking forward to this time of the day.

"Me too! What's for lunch?" Tarzan asked, curious as to what was on the menu.

"Glad ya asked, kid," said Timon, before turning to his best friend and asking, "Shall we tell him, Pumbaa?"

"Uh-huh."

"Now listen to this; this is the important part." Pumbaa used his snout to push Tarzan over to a log and two leaves that acted as curtains. Meanwhile, Timon held up two beetles impaled on sticks to simulate a puppet show as he sang: "_Now who wants to be a hunter, chasin' food all over the place?_"

"_More often than not, it gets away._" Pumbaa sang in, as Timon threw away the stick in his left hand.

"_Who needs the thrill of the chase?_" The meerkat asked rhetorically, throwing the other stick aside.

"_Why move mountains to get your chow, w__hen you only need to move a log?_" Pumbaa asked as he lifted the log, causing a great swarm of insects living underneath to come out.

Timon grabbed a butterfly for a makeshift bow, and a giant earthworm for a boa. Then he sauntered towards Tarzan in the style of a drag-queen and sang, "_Make it your dietary resolve, for now, to eat like the ol' warthog!_" As he sang, he pulled the boy closer with the earthworm, before throwing it aside, as Pumbaa proceeded to consume it in one bite. "_Regarding food..._"

"Mmm-mmm!"

"_His attitude..._" Tarzan just sat there in shock and disgust as he saw what just unfolded. He'd only eaten termites and ants on rare occasions, but this was something completely out of his comfort zone. He sat frozen only to notice that several insects were crawling up him, and shook them off as he listened to Timon and Pumbaa explain their diet, which included snails, several varieties of beetles, worms, caterpillars and even spiders. All the while, the boy was trying his best not to throw up as Timon sang and Pumbaa ate: "_It's bugs for every meal._"

"_I've got it all worked out!_"

"_So full of vitamins._"

"_I've got it all worked out!_"

"_No need to cook or peel!_"

"_I've got it all worked out!_"

"_He eats 'em in their skins._"

"_I've got it all worked out!_"

"_They're delectable, available, the perfect snack. They ain't endangered species, and they don't fight back._"

Timon then found a quintet of beetles and began juggling them as he sang: "_Don't dismiss the warthog gastronomy. Take it from he!_"

"_Take it from me!_" Pumbaa sang back as he watched Timon throw the beetles to him; he caught them in his snout, using his tusks to throw them back.

"_Take it from he! He's got it all worked out!_" Timon sang as he kicked every last beetle into the warthog's mouth. Tarzan watched Pumbaa let out a random burp at the end, while he and Timon led the boy towards the largest termite mounds that he had ever seen in his life. He hadn't got the taste for them with his troop, but he would now. Timon said, "C'mon kid, it's now or never." Then he told the warthog, "Hit it, Pumbaa!" Pumbaa took a deep breath and blew straight into the termite mound, causing a smörgåsbord of various insects to come bursting out of the mounds like water out of a geyser. Soon Tarzan found himself singing along with the duo, his heart full of joy and not even caring that a few insects were landing on his head and draped over his shoulders, as the trio soon began line dancing between the termite mounds, while a ray of sunlight shone down upon them like a spotlight.

"_So remember when you see us staring into space,_

_We're caught between a pillow and a soft, soft place._

_Don't dismiss the warthog mentality._"

"_Take it from me!_"

"_Take it from me!_"

"_Take it from he!_"

"_Take it from we!_"

"_We've. Got it. All. Worked. Out~!_"

As the trio sang, the scene around them devolved into a real musical number, with various insects and arachnids dancing along to their melody, and finished as Timon wound up a caterpillar in his right hand, which he proceeded to jam right into Tarzan's open mouth. The boy was lucky that this caterpillar wasn't toxic, and didn't have any sharp spikes. The texture was initially offsetting, but the taste wasn't too bad at all.

"Hey, these aren't too bad at all," said the hairless ape.

Pumbaa smiled at the boy and told his meerkat friend, "Timon, I think he's got it!"

"Y'know, kid? This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship," said Timon as the trio went off to induct Tarzan into the new life of relaxation, no worries and blissful ignorance, and a motto that he would come to live by during his time with them.

* * *

A/N: And so, our first turn towards the path of _The Lion King_! When I watched the midquel, I figured that Dark Mountain would be the perfect location to place the Elephant Graveyard, since the two locations are similar in terms of being barren, and dotted with geysers and tunnels. It was the perfect place for animals to get trapped and stranded too. For those of you unfamiliar with the song that Timon and Pumbaa are singing, the melody is similar to the song "_All I Need_" from _The Lion King 1.5_. It's called "_Warthog Rhapsody_", written and composed by Elton John and Tim Rice. It was originally planned to be used in _The Lion King_, but was replaced by "_Hakuna Matata"_. Nevertheless, I thought it was pretty cool that there was a completely composed song that was intended to be used, and I felt it was appropriate for Tarzan's introduction to Timon and Pumbaa's lifestyle. The song was released in the _Rhythm of the Pride Lands_ album, and sang by none other than Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella. Hence why I suggested at the beginning to listen to this song on YouTube as you read along. Anyway, let me know what you guys think, fave, follow, leave a review below, and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! _TARZAN_ AND _THE LION KING_ BELONG TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Hakuna Matata

Early the following morning, Tarzan was muttering in his sleep. He'd built his own nest in the style his mother made for him: elevated between two branches like a hammock, and with a giant banana leaf as a pillow. He was dreaming about the moments in that storm, just as he was about to fall. He remembered Kala reaching towards him just as the root was going to hit her. Then he woke up with a fright and yelled out, "MOM!"

The boy's heart was racing; his forehead damp from a cold sweat. Yet he realized that the memory was only a nightmare. Even so, it brought up the reason why he ran away in the first place. He hugged his knees to his chest as he felt sorrow grip him.

"Hey, why the long face, Tarzan?" Asked a familiar voice, "You gotta lighten up and live a little!"

Tarzan looked down and saw Timon and Pumbaa standing a foot below his nest. He only replied, "Huh? Oh...y-yeah."

"What were you thinking about?" Pumbaa asked, concerned about the condition of their simian friend.

Timon thought for a moment and then asked, "Let me guess: the past?"

"Yeah..." Tarzan replied with a reluctant nod.

"Y'know, you never really told us about yourself when we first met ya." Timon began, before changing the topic,"Well, there'll be plenty of time to catch up after what Pumbaa found near the edge of the jungle."

What Pumbaa ended up finding was a huge prickle of porcupines; Timon had the foolishness of inventing a new game: bowling for porcupines. At first, there was a sense of excitement and thrill from it. However, halfway into the game, the meerkat was on the receiving end when one of the porcupines stuck its quills into his back. Tarzan and Pumbaa helped by carefully removing each of the quills.

"So, bowling for porcupines...not the best idea, huh?" Tarzan asked as he gently placed one of the quills down into the ground, so that the barbs wouldn't sink into another animal's pelt.

"Yeah, gotta be right up there with bobbing for snapping turtles," said Timon before he let out a yelp of pain as Pumbaa removed a quill near his spine.

"Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark," the warthog muttered. Yet a sudden shrill noise caught his attention. Pumbaa looked up and told the others, "Hey! Look, you two, buzzards!"

Tarzan and Timon looked behind them towards the dried cracked lands on the border, where they saw a flock of vultures swarming around something.

"We're gonna go bowling for them?" Tarzan asked curiously.

"Whaddya say, Timon? One more round?" Pumbaa asked.

Timon only replied sarcastically, "Oh sure, there must be some part of me we haven't injured yet." Yet then as he took the last quill out from his back, the meerkat jumped onto Pumbaa's head with an eager grin.

"Are we gonna charge them?" Tarzan asked, anxious at what was going to happen.

Timon just smiled and said, "Aw why not? One more round won't change our lives!" Then he held on tight as Pumbaa dashed forward towards the flock of vultures; Tarzan following close behind them. "Get out! Get out! Get outta here!" He yelled at the bald-headed birds, while Pumbaa kicked with his hind hooves and snorted angrily.

Tarzan mimicked the sound of a leopard growling, as he threw a rock at one as they all flew away in fear. He turned to his friends and said, "That sure scared them, huh?"

"I love it! Bowling for buzzards!" Pumbaa exclaimed.

Timon laughed as he dusted himself off and told the two, "Gets 'em every time!"

"Uh-oh..."

"Pumbaa? What's up?" Tarzan asked, seeing him standing over the animal that the vultures were swarming. It had golden fur and paws, and was just about the boy's height.

Pumbaa then called out to their meerkat friend, "Hey Timon, you'd better come look. I think it's still alive."

Timon was initially disgusted at the thought that those birds tried to eat something that was still alive, but was more than willing to help another animal in need. He made his way over and asked, "Arrighty, what do we have here?"

"Is it a leopard?" Tarzan asked, unsure of what this animal was. It looked like a spotless leopard in his opinion.

Timon sniffed the creature for its scent and replied, "Doesn't smell like any leopard I've ever seen." Then he lifted up the creature's paw so as to see its face. Much to his horror, the meerkat knew exactly what it was. "Geez! It's a _lion_!" He yelped out in terror, tripping over the cub's arm as he backed away from the cat.

"A lion?" Tarzan asked, curious about the new creature, "Are they dangerous?"

"Oh, _very_ dangerous!" Timon replied. Then he raced up towards Pumbaa's head and told the warthog, "_Run_ Pumbaa! Move it!"

"_Hey_, Timon! It's just a _little_ lion," said the warthog, who was obviously not afraid of these animals since he could fend them off when he had to. Yet this one was still only a cub, and out by himself, no less. "Look at him. He's so cute and all alone! Can we keep him?"

"Pumbaa, are you _**NUTS!?**_" Timon yelled right into the pig's left ear, before crawling on top of Pumbaa's snout to try and hide, "Sure, taking in Tarzan was one thing, but you're talking about a _lion_; lions _eat_ animals like us!" Then he jumped down and lifted the unconscious cub's eyelids, stating, "Shifty little eyes..." then revealed the young cub's teeth, "Sharp fangs!" He then leapt back onto his friend's snout, hoping to talk some sense into him, "He's a predator!"

"But he's so _little_." Pumbaa said, leaning over to regard the cub, while accidentally causing Timon to land on his back.

"He's gonna get _bigger_!"

"Maybe he'll be on _our_ side."

"A-HUH! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard." Timon boasted as he got up.

"I dunno, Timon," said Tarzan, "Maybe he won't be so dangerous. I mean, not all animals are dangerous like crocodiles or snakes." For the boy, it was such a new experience. He'd never seen a lion before, but he knew from his past encounter with Sabor, that not all predators were like the hyenas.

"Well, when you put it that way, Tarzan..." Timon started, and then an idea struck him as he said, "Y'know maybe having a lion around might not be such a bad idea."

"So we're keeping 'im?" Pumbaa asked as he lifted the unconscious cub onto his snout.

"Of course. Who's the brains out of the two of us?" Timon asked his porcine friend.

"Uh..."

"My point exactly," the meerkat declared. Timon wiped his brow and said, "Geez, I'm frying. Let's get outta here and find some shade."

Feeling the intense heat, Tarzan and Pumbaa gladly followed Timon's advice and led the unconscious lion cub back to the safety of the rainforest.

* * *

The trio made their way back to the edge of the jungle, under the shade of a few overhanging trees. Tarzan watched as Timon splashed some water from a nearby pool onto the lion's face. This shock caused the little cub to regain consciousness.

"He's awake" Tarzan whispered, watching the cub with curious eyes. This small lion was extremely confused by where he was and by the trio's presence. His ears were flat against his head and his eyes contained a sadness the boy could relate to.

"You okay, kid?" Timon asked.

The lion cub only replied, "I guess so..."

"You nearly _died," _said Pumbaa, glad that the cub was able to pull through

"I saved ya," began Timon, only to be snorted at by the warthog, "Well, uh, Pumbaa helped; so did Tarzan."

"Thanks for your help..." the cub dully said in gratitude, then began to wander off back towards the flat lands.

"Where are you going?" Tarzan asked, worried about the cub.

"Nowhere..." replied the lion as he hung his head.

Seeing the sadness in the lion cub, Tarzan followed him, as he could understand what it was like to be alone and trying to survive at so young an age.

"Gee, he looks blue." Timon muttered

"I'd say brownish-gold," Pumbaa replied, thinking that Timon meant the cub's fur color.

"No, no, no. I mean he's depressed."

"Oh," Pumbaa then went up and asked the cub, "Kid what's eatin' you?"

"Nothin', he's at the top of the food chain!" Timon joked, then let out a forced laugh as a way to lighten the mood. "The food cha-hain!" Realizing that his joke was in bad taste, Timon decided to change the subject and asked both Tarzan and the lion cub, "So, where you boys from?"

"A troop of apes, but they're better off without me," answered Tarzan

"Who cares? I can't go back," the cub replied.

"Ah, so you're outcasts! That's great, so are we," said Timon without a hint of shame.

"Whatcha do, kids?" Pumbaa asked.

"Something terrible, but I don't wanna talk about it," said the lion cub.

"Me too." Tarzan answered.

"Good, we don't wanna hear about it." Timon declared, seeing as the boys' pasts were best left unknown if they did something terrible.

"C'mon Timon," Pumbaa insisted, then asked Tarzan and the cub "Anything we can do?"

"Not unless you can change the past..." said the small lion.

Pumbaa then smiled and said, "Y'know kids, in times like these, my buddy Timon here says: 'You gotta put your behinds in your past'."

"No! No! No! Amateur. Lie down before you hurt yourself." Timon told his friend. Pumbaa sat down as the meerkat told the two youngsters, "It's 'you gotta put your past behind you'. Y'know, take life one step at a time. No past, no future. Purge your mind, break it out. It's easy."

"How can you do that?" Tarzan asked, curiously. The lion perked one of his ears up to listen as well.

"Didn't I tell you boys? It's easy," said Timon, "Look kids, bad things happen, and you can't do anything about 'em, right?"

"Uh-huh"

"Right."

"_Wrong_! When the world turns its back on you, you turn your backs on the world," Timon explained, having his own outlook on life, one that came from years of monotony in his former colony.

"Well that's not what I was taught."

"Neither was I."

Timon and Pumbaa glanced at one another with a grin, and then the meerkat said to the young ones, "Then maybe you boys need a new lesson. Repeat after me." He cleared his throat and said only two words: "Hakuna Matata."

"What?" the cub and Tarzan both asked in unison.

Pumbaa then explained to them, "Ha-ku-na Ma-ta-ta. It means 'no worries'."

Timon began to sing first, "_Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase._"

"_Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passin' craze._" sang Pumbaa, following up.

"_It means no worries for the rest of your days_." Timon and Pumbaa led the two young ones back into the rainforest and backed them into two bushes that resembled two more armchairs. Pumbaa fanned then with a palm leaf to cool them down.

"_It's our problem-free philosophy_" the two sang in unison, while Timon used a piece of pine bark to file one of the claws on the lion cub's left paw.

"_Hakuna Matata._"

"Hakuna Matata?" Tarzan asked his friends, confused about this new phrase.

"Yeah, it's our motto." Pumbaa replied happily

"What's a motto?" Asked the young lion.

"Nothing, what's a motto with you?" Timon jokingly asked as he and Pumbaa soon began laughing

The warthog then told the duo, "Y'know kids? These two words will solve all your problems."

"That's right! Take Pumbaa for example." Timon stated, then he sang, "_Why, when he was a young warthog~._"

"_When I was a young wart-HOOOOOOOG~!" _Pumbaa belted out, causing Timon to have a dull ringing in his left ear.

"Very nice."

"Thanks."

Timon then began to sing about Pumbaa's life prior to arriving at the jungle: "_He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal; he could clear the savanna after every meal._"

Pumbaa chimed in, _"I'm a sensitive soul, though I seem thick-skinned. And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind~. And oh the shame!"_

_"He was ashamed!_"

_"Thought of changin' my name."_

_"Oh, what's in a name?"_

_"And I got downhearted,"_

_"How did ya feel?"_

_"Every time that I __ —"_

"Hey! Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids." Timon said, holding his paws against Pumbaa's mouth for silence.

"Oh, sorry."

The lion cub and Tarzan looked at each other, both equally confused as to what Timon and Pumbaa meant. Tarzan only shrugged, but the two watched as Timon began raising Pumbaa on a vine-swing and sang in unison.

"_Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase._

_Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passin' craze."_ As Pumbaa caught Timon, trying their best at personal acrobatics, both Tarzan and the cub were so overjoyed, that they too felt the message sink in

_"It means no worries,"_ sang Tarzan

The cub then followed up: _"For the rest of your days!"_

"Yeah, sing it kids!" Timon said happily as he slid towards their feet.

_"It's our problem-free..."_

_"...philosophy!" _Sang Pumbaa as he landed behind them.

_"Hakuna Matata!" _

Shortly thereafter, the trio led the cub towards a part of the jungle with a great view of the landscape. Timon removed a fern leaf obscuring the view and told the lion, "Welcome to our humble home!"

The little cub was enthralled by the vastness and beauty of the jungle. He'd never seen a land like this before in his life. He asked, "You live here?"

"We live wherever we want." Timon replied.

"Yep, home is where your rump rests." said Pumbaa as he agreed with his meerkat friend.

"It's beautiful." The cub muttered. Tarzan understood the cub's reaction, as it was the same for him when he first saw the Pride Lands from Sabor's tree.

"Any of you guys hungry?" Tarzan asked as the quartet walked about the rainforest's understory

"I'm so hungry I could eat a whole zebra," said the cub. He probably hadn't eaten in days.

Timon nervously laughed and said, "Ehaahaah. We're fresh outta zebra."

"Any antelope?" The lion cub asked.

"Na-uh"

"Hippo?"

"Nope." Timon explained to the lion, "Listen kid: if you live with us, you have to eat like us." He then stopped in front of a log and told both Pumbaa and Tarzan, "Hey, this looks like a good spot to rustle up some grub!"

Pumbaa lifted up the log with his snout and tusks, revealing a whole buffet of insects: from grasshoppers and millipedes, to caterpillars and beetle larvae.

"Eeew, what's that?" The lion cub asked, unsure of what to think.

Timon picked up a gigantic red caterpillar in his arms and replied, "A grub. What's it look like?"

"Eew! _Gross_!" The cub remarked in disgust. He felt the same as Tarzan did when he saw this for the first time.

"Mmm! Tastes like guineafowl," said Timon as he finished the caterpillar off.

Pumbaa slurped up a great worm that was surfacing and said, "Slimy yet satisfying!"

Timon joined Tarzan over at a few mounds where the boy was sticking mostly to beetle grubs, caterpillars and even refined his hand at fishing for ants and termites.

"These are rare delicacies," said Timon as he picked up a red beetle and bit off its head and thorax, remarking in mid-bite, "Piquant, with a very pleasant crunch."

"You'll learn to love 'em!" Pumbaa told the cub, who was appalled at the sight of the warthog speaking with his mouth full of insects. Tarzan only chuckled to himself as he saw the cub's reaction. It reminded the boy of his own reaction the previous day. Meanwhile, Timon had been filling a large banana leaf with a different array of invertebrates, grabbing any insect he could find, and placing it on the leaf.

"I'm tellin' ya, kids, this is the great life. No rules, no responsibilities," said the meerkat as he reached into a hole in a fallen tree, from which a swarm of different insects began crawling out. After rummaging for a while, he pulled out an insect which was as blue as the sky, and exclaimed, "Ooh! The little cream-filled kind." After finishing it off in one bite, he returned to the lion cub and Tarzan, "And best of all: no worries." Timon held the leaf of insects up to the cub, and asked him, "Well, kid?"

Seeing that there was no alternative for a carnivore like him, the lion picked up a palm weevil grub in his left paw, since it was the largest of what was offered.

"Oh well, Hakuna Matata." The cub said as he slurped down the beetle larva in one go. The texture was a bit off-putting, but the taste wasn't too bad. His ears perked up as he remarked, "Slimy...yet satisfying."

"That's it!" Timon exclaimed, while the remaining beetles flew upwards.

...

As time passed, Tarzan became quite close with both Timon and Pumbaa, as well as the young lion cub, Simba. Both Tarzan and Simba learned to forget the burdens of their pasts, and focus on living life to the standards of Hakuna Matata.

For two years, the quartet bonded and shared all sorts of adventures in the jungle. During that time, the boy and the cub proved to outmatch Timon and Pumbaa in every competition, with any contest against one another ending in a tie. To make up for this, Tarzan began making tools such as vine ropes for both grabbing fruit down from trees, and for nets used to catch more bugs and grubs. He even got better at fishing for termites: something he struggled to do with his troop. Yet he was still envious of Simba's claws, since it allowed the lion cub to climb trees better than him.

As the days and months passed, Simba grew bigger and stronger, and soon he was fully grown, to the point that Tarzan could ride his back. As an adult, Simba was able to scare off any passing crocodile or leopard with his newfound roar and strength.

"_Hakuna Matata! Hakuna Matata! Hakuna Matata! Hakuna..._"

"_It means no worries, for the rest of your days,_" Simba sang out as he and Tarzan joined their two friends on a dead tree overlooking the lake they now swam in.

"_It's our problem-free philosophy!_" All four sang in unison.

Timon leapt off Pumbaa's head and was the first to dive in. Pumbaa followed with a swan dive, making a somewhat bigger splash, while Simba and Tarzan were last. The lion grabbed onto an overhanging vine with a bite, which snapped as he jumped off the tree and landed with a huge splash, causing a wave that Timon was able to rise by using Pumbaa like a surfboard.

Tarzan jumped into a hole within the tree that shot him out like a slide. As he was about to come out, he shouted in joy: "HAKUNA MATATA!"

His words echoed out from his location, past Dark Mountain and towards Elephant Falls, where Tantor was drinking and soaking peacefully.

He too was shaken by Tarzan's purported death, as he missed his best friend greatly. Yet since elephants had better hearing than other animals, he was shocked; he knew that voice from anywhere.

"Huh? Tarzan?" He asked himself. Then he knew the truth: Tarzan wasn't dead! Quickly, the elephant calf ran off to find Terk. He had to tell her what happened.

* * *

A/N: At last! We have the appearance of Simba himself! Now, we really start heading towards The Lion King, but we will still be focusing on Tarzan just as equally. Keep in mind, that bits and pieces of Simba's cubhood will make a few appearances now and again as flashbacks. In case any of you are wondering why I had Tarzan remain a boy while Simba grew from cub to adult, this is because lions typically reach adulthood at the age of 3. Anyway let me know what you guys think in a review, fave, follow, and as always, we'll see you at the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! _TARZAN_ AND _THE LION KING_ BELONG TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Stars and Revelations...

In the two years since the accident, Terk had been deeply affected by the supposed death of her cousin. The closest she ever came to being this sad was back when Tarzan accidentally caused the stampede at Elephant Falls. Now, life wasn't the same without him.

On this particular day, she was up in a tree, depressed and still having not gotten over what happened. She had Flynt and Mungo to help take her mind off things, but when it came to playing with her baby cousins, she couldn't help but think of Tarzan and how he would love to play.

"You can't catch me, Zugor!" Gozan told her, trying to goad her into playing with him.

"Not now, Gozan, Okay? I'm not in the mood..." she replied. Gozan then poked her again, to try and get her attention. Terk snapped and yelled, "Hey! I said I wasn't in the mood! So, get lost!" At this, Gozan and the other babies were taken aback. Terk has never lashed out at them this way before. Realizing what she did, and feeling shame and regret, Terk helped Gozan back up and told her cousins, "Look, I'm sorry guys... It's not your fault, but the game just wouldn't be the same without Tarzan, y'know?" She looked away at the spot where the accident happened "I still can't believe he's..."

A sudden trumpeting startled the quartet and Tantor came running out of the underbrush as he cried out, "Terk! Tarzan's alive!"

"What!? That's impossible," Terk retorted, believing that this wasn't possible after what happened.

"But I heard him. He was saying something, it was 'Hakuna Matata' or something like that." said the little elephant calf.

Terk looked at the elephant calf and said, "Oi vey, You've been soaking in the sun too long. Take two mangoes and come see me in the morning."

Yet Tantor was adamant about what he just heard. He stopped dead in his tracks and said, "I heard Tarzan's voice coming from up on Dark Mountain."

"Why didn't anyone else hear it?" Terk asked.

"I'm an elephant. I've got 20/20 hearing." Tantor replied, flapping his ears as proof. Elephants could hear sounds at frequencies that no other animals could, so Tantor was confident in the fact that Tarzan was still alive.

Terk only bucked up and decided to give Tantor the benefit of be doubt. She said, "Okay. Let's see if we can find him."

With that, the two began to set off on their quest to find Tarzan, if Terk was to trust in Tantor's words that her cousin was still alive at all. Sensing a chance of adventure and thrills, Taug, Gozan and Chulk followed the duo.

Tantor saw the babies following them and asked his friend, "Terk, what are we gonna do about them?"

"Huh?" Terk asked as she spun round and understood what Tantor meant. If anything happened to those three, she wouldn't just have to answer to her aunts, but the thought of getting in trouble with Kerchak terrified her even more. She rushed around and told them, "Whoa, Whoa. Uh, you guys have to stay here."

"Nuh-Uh," said Taug, adamant on going with them.

Chulk added in, "No, we don't."

"Yeah, you do," said Terk, trying to think of some sort of excuse to have them stay behind so that nobody would suspect anything. She finally told them, "Um...you need to stay behind and, uh... cover for us. Yeah. If anybody asks, tell them we're out picking monkey berries. Got it?"

"Oh, gotcha!" Gozan said in confirmation.

Then they all said in unison, "Monkey berries. Got it."

"Yeah, you're all very cute, okay. Run along, run along," Terk told her cousins as she hopped onto Tantor's back, smiling at them with a sly grin. The two friends then headed off on their search to find Tarzan and bring him back home. Yet what they did not know was that they were about to embark on perhaps one of their greatest adventures yet...

* * *

That same day, Tarzan was relaxing with Simba and Pumbaa in one of the small pools that dotted the jungle. Pumbaa's special power, his gas, was all that was needed to make the water bubble enough to feel nice and relaxing, like a bath.

"So you see, _that's_ why they call it a dung beetle," said Pumbaa, having explained the difference between them and scarabs.

"Whoa, that's kinda cool," said Tarzan as he took in all this information on the insects he and his friends ate.

"Eeew, you don't say. And yet still so tasty," answered Simba, who was also interested in the subject. Yet the lion didn't eat insects most of the time. To keep his teeth strong, he supplemented his diet with large fish that lived in the lake, such as Nile perch and Goliath tigerfish. He would sometimes find the remains of any animal that a leopard ate, and gnaw on the bones with his teeth when he was alone.

"Oh yeah, and they're my favorite, too!" Pumbaa replied. Timon arrived at that moment, testing the waters with his foot before getting in himself with a relaxing sigh.

"Just what the doctor ordered," said the meerkat, content with life as it was.

"Yep, after a long day of doing nothing, it's good to kick back," Pumbaa declared.

"You said it," added Tarzan.

"Four pals and no worries. What more could you want?" Simba asked as the quartet continued to relax. They had really become more like brothers, regardless of their pasts. It seemed that nothing in the world was able to interrupt this bliss.

* * *

Meanwhile, no sooner had Terk and Tantor departed on their journey to find Tarzan, did Gozan, Chulk and Taug resume playing their little game. So far, nobody had asked where their cousin had run off to, and it was perhaps for the better.

As Gozan and Chulk ran, laughing along the way, Taug got onto his feet and said in a deep tone, "I am the Zugor!" Then he let out a playful roar and he began to chase his cousins. Yet high above them, Kala sat alone in her nest. Two years had passed, and she still was in grief. She'd come to some acceptance, but nothing could replace the hole in her heart like Tarzan ever could. She placed her hand over the leaf he used to prop his head against every night. There was no greater pain to know that both her son by Kerchak and her surrogate son were now gone, and she was unable to save either of them.

The three cousins soon came up to the tree, laughing and happy, but their laughter came to a halt when they saw their aunt looking over the empty nest.

"Auntie Kala's sad..." said Chulk, understanding the situation.

"Why?" Taug asked

Gozan correctly replied, "She misses Tarzan."

"That's right, Gozan," said Kala, trying her best not to cry.

Chulk saw his aunt's face and said, "Oh, don't cry, Tarzan's still —" He did not finish. Gozan and Taug immediately covered his mouth with their hands.

"SHHH! Monkey berries!" Taug reminded

"Remember?" Asked Gozan.

"I know, I wasn't gonna tell her."

Kala raised an eyebrow and asked her nephews, "Tell me what?" Something was up, and they knew it.

"That Tarzan's alive."

"And Terk and Tantor went to look for him."

Kala's eyes widened in disbelief. Her baby was alive and well?

"On Dark Mountain."

"Tarzan's alive..." She muttered, tears of joy welling up on her eyes. The grief she felt for the past two years was shattered. Yet she steeled herself for what she knew came now. She looked to the east and told her nephews, "I'm going after Terk and Tantor. You three stay here!" And with that, the three babies watched as Kala climbed down from the tree and rushed eastwards, determined to find her son. There was nothing that could stop a mother determined to find her child, and Kala would go through anything to see her Tarzan again.

* * *

Later that evening, Tarzan, Simba, Timon and Pumbaa decided to go stargazing after a feast of grubs and fish, during which Timon proposed a burping competition. Pumbaa and Tarzan seemed equal at first, but then Simba unleashed the mother of all belches, the sound echoing throughout the jungle.

"Whoa! Nice one Simba," said Timon, impressed by the lion's improvement.

"Thanks," the lion replied, "Man, I'm stuffed!"

"Me too. I ate like a pig," said Pumbaa, his hooves hovering above his belly.

Simba chuckled and said, "Pumbaa, you _are_ a pig."

All four of them sighed happily, looking up at the night sky; the perfect end to a perfect day. Pumbaa continued looking up, his mind reeling with thoughts.

He continued looking up and asked his meerkat friend, "Timon?"

"Yeah?"

"Ever wonder what those white, sparkling dots are up there?"

"The stars?" Tarzan asked.

Timon only glanced at his porcine friend and explained, "Pumbaa, I don't wonder. I know."

"Oh... what are they?"

The meerkat looked up and declared, "They're fireflies...fireflies that got stuck up in that, big, bluish black thing."

"You mean the sky?" Tarzan asked, still confused about this interpretation. He knew the stars were there, but they never seemed too important to him.

"Yeah, that's it Tarzan."

Pumbaa despondently replied, "Oh, gee... I always believed they were balls of gas burning from millions of miles away."

Tarzan giggled at the remark and commented, "Everything is a gas when it comes to you, Pumbaa."

Then the warthog asked their leonine friend, "Simba, what do you think?"

"Well... I dunno," said the big cat. It was obvious that he had an opinion, but he preferred to keep it a secret.

Timon, Pumbaa And Tarzan begged the lion to tell them what he thought of the stars, and it was then, at that moment, when he remembered another night, so long ago, before he met the trio...

* * *

It was a night such as this one, and Simba was still a cub, he had been in a similar situation as Tarzan did in Dark Mountain, in that he ended up being chased by the hyenas in the elephant graveyard. His father, a lion named Mufasa, ended up having to save him.

"Simba!" Mufasa called out, stern at his son for disobeying his orders. He told Simba never to go to the Elephant Graveyard, but curiosity got the better of the young lion and he went there anyway. The cub slowly walked to his father's side, feeling shame and regret for what he just did. Mufasa looked down at his son and said, "Simba, I'm very disappointed in you."

"I know..." Simba replied.

"You could've been killed," Mufasa continued, "You deliberately disobeyed me!"

Sadly, little Simba confessed the truth, "I was just trying to be brave, like you."

At this, Mufasa explained, "I'm only brave when I have to be. Simba, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble."

"But you're not scared of anything."

Mufasa looked away for a brief moment and said, "I was, today."

"You were?"

"Yes. I thought I might lose you."

"Oh, so I guess even lions get scared too, huh?"

"Mm-hmm."

"But you know what?"

"What?"

"I think those hyenas were even more scared."

Mufasa couldn't help but chuckle as he slowly raised his right paw and said, "Cause nobody messes with your dad." Then he pulled Simba close and soon, both father and son began playing that night on the grassy plain, under the stars.

Simba then asked, "Dad? We're pals, right?"

Mufasa chuckled and told his son, "Right."

"And we'll always be together, right?"

Mufasa then got up to where he was lying down and said, "Simba, let me tell you something that my father told me." It was these words that now rang through Simba's head, "Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars."

"Really?"

"Yes. So, whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you...and so will I."

* * *

Looking up at the sky, Simba explained, "Well...Somebody once told me... that the great kings of the past are up there, watching over us." Even though he never saw his home for a long time, he still remembered his old life.

"Whoa..."Tarzan muttered, in awe by Simba's words. They were something that his mother would have told him not too long ago.

"Really?" Pumbaa asked.

Timon, now utterly confused, asked, "You mean a bunch of royal dead guys are watching us?" Then he let out a whooping laugh as both Tarzan and Pumbaa began cracking up with the meerkat. Timon, believing that Simba's words were utter nonsense, asked in disbelief, "Who told ya something like that!? What mook made that up!?"

"Yeah... pretty dumb." the lion replied, letting out a nervously forced chuckle, while his two friends were laughing at his comment.

"Oh, you're killing me!"

However, Simba's true sadness showed itself. The pain in his heart was too much to endure. He missed his home and his family, but he was too afraid to go back. Even now, he realized that in his heart. The melancholic lion then got up on all fours and took his hasty leave.

"Simba?" Tarzan asked, concerned about his leonine friend's feelings. Yet as he got up, the boy called out, "Hey! Simba, wait!" Though Tarzan wasn't fast enough to keep up, he could tell something was obviously upsetting the lion.

"Was it something I said?" Timon asked, as the trio were surprised that something like that could get to their feline friend. Simba only reached the ledge of a plateau overlooking the rainforest as he looked up at the heavens. Remembering his father's words brought back such memories he thought he'd pushed to the back of his mind. The lion then just collapsed onto his belly, causing a cloud of pollen and fluff to float up from the impact, and carried off by the wind.

* * *

The pollen and fluff flew far to the east, carried on the winds, and by chance they came by a lone green baobab tree. As it passed over, a hand grabbed it, and Rafiki, the wisest mandrill in all the Pride Lands, sniffed it. He knew the scent emanating from it, but that was long ago. He had to make certain. Without a doubt, he leapt down the branches to the heart of his tree, where he placed the pollen and fluff into an empty tortoise shell. Humming a tune, he mixed it all around, and cracked open a gourd to eat, as he looked for the signs. Then suddenly, he remembered whose scent it was he smelled and looked back into the shell

"Simba?" He asked himself, Then he turned to a small painting of a lion he drew on one of the trunks. "He-He's alive? He!? He's alive!" Elated by this revelation, the wise old baboon leapt to get his Bakora staff, and then rushed to the painting. Below was a bowl of paint, which he dipped his right hand inside. He cackled and laughed in joy as he painted a mane around the lion's neck. For that lion represented Simba. There was far more to the lion than anyone could ever have known.

Satisfied with the turn of events, Rafiki stated with confidence: "It is time!"

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I've been busy with reality, but I still am devoted to seeing this story through to the end. I nearly cried as I was typing up the flashback, since I listen to _The Lion King _soundtrack as I type this, so the movie ends up playing out in my head. Let me know what you guys think. Fave, review and follow for more, and stay tuned as always!


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! _TARZAN_ AND _THE LION KING_ BELONG TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES.**

* * *

Chapter 6: An Unexpected Surprise...

Having set off to find Tarzan, Terk was lucky that she had Tantor with her. His herd sometimes traveled east in search of salt deposits, at the Kitum Cave. They followed the flow of the Lualaba River, until it branched off to the Luyua. For two days, they trekked all over the rainforest, heading eastwards, reaching Lake Mweru by the end of the first day. They would stop every so often to eat, drink and rest. When night fell, Terk made a nest while Tantor slept standing up. They woke up bright and early on the second day, following the flow of the Luapula River to Lake Bangwelo. Yet as they finally reached Dark Mountain's entrance that day, the atmosphere became tense and, the two youngsters were now both on edge.

Tantor asked, "Uh, Terk? Isn't Dark Mountain where the Zugor lives?"

"Pfft! Don't worry about that," said Terk, trying her best to reassure the calf, "Zugor's just an imaginary animal, remember? He's not real."

"Sure, you know that, and I know that," Tantor replied, as he hid behind her, "But does _**he** _know that?"

Before Terk could even answer her pachyderm pal, the two were startled by the sound of an insane and sinister cackling. At the very sound of it, the two began to run around in circles, before they hit each other. Then a second maniacal round of laughter caused them to run in pure fear, towards the heart of Dark Mountain.

Terk only looked back for an instant, then looked straight at Tantor as she muttered to herself, "I _do_ believe in Zugors! I _do_ believe in Zugors! I _do_! I _do_! I _doooooo_!"

The elephant calf and gorilla soon found themselves running off a cliff, and soon were sliding down a steep decline, propelling them both in midair as it shot up. Tantor landed, front first, into a hole in the rock wall, with only his hindquarters and tail sticking out. Though Terk managed to land on her bottom, groaning from the impact as she sat down. As she looked all around, her eyes widened in awe at the sight of the Elephant Graveyard. She had to get Tantor out of here first, as she knew the stories about this place whenever she and Tarzan hung out with his herd. Yet the sound of an applause caught her attention. Terk turned and saw Shenzi, Banzai and Ed right behind her, their eyes focused on her.

Shenzi stopped clapping her front paws and told her underlings, "Oh look, it's dinner and a show!"

"And I thought beans were the only musical food." Banzai remarked. They had seen Terk's aerial display, and were honestly amused by it, each of the three laughing at the thought. Now, Terk was horrified, as she looked up at all three, knowing exactly what they were.

She just sat there, shaking in fear as she muttered, "Hye...Hye...Hye..."

"Well Hi! to you too!" Shenzi replied before rushing towards her, fangs bared, ready to make the first blow. In response, Terk only ran as fast as she could, screaming as all three hyenas gave chase.

"Oh no. The Zugor has Terk," Tantor muttered. He couldn't see much from the hole he was in, but from the screams and growls, he could only guess what was going on. The elephant calf shouted, "Leave my friend alone! Take me instead!" All the while, Terk managed to turn the tables, and began chasing Ed. It was as she chased him in the other direction, that she stopped in front of an erupting gas vent.

The hyenas all shouted, "Boo!" as they poked their head through the gas, terrifying the poor gorilla.

Hearing Terk's scream, Tantor assumed the worst and muttered, "She's being eaten. Oh, the horror!"

Shenzi went in for a bite, but Terk ran in the opposite direction. She could hear the snapping of the predators' jaws behind her. Quickly, she climbed up onto a skeleton. Yet the young gorilla only ended up sliding down the dead elephant's spine, and was sent flying into another heap of bones. She began climbing up the heap, seeing the hyenas catching up to her.

Terk saw a cliff and made a dash for it, climbing a partially mummified elephant to try and grasp the ledge. However, each time she jumped, the skin she landed on gave way until finally she fell. She gasped as she saw the hyenas close in on her. Believing this was it, she hunched up and closed her eyes. However, before Banzai could take the first bite, a roar as loud as thunder startled the scavengers.

"Man, that Scar's got the worst timing!" Banzai grumbled with a sneer, annoyed that their hunt was interrupted.

"Just let him roar," Shenzi told him, not wanting to waste the opportunity for a decent meal.

Banzai, though, sighed in irritation and advised his matriarch, "Nah, we better go see what he wants. It sounds like he's grumpy enough as it is already."

"Fine..." she said with an angry groan. Terk opened her eyes at that moment to find the hyenas running towards wherever the roar came from. Relieved and thankful for being spared, she rushed out of the corpse, with the intent of finding her elephant friend, and getting her cousin back.

As the hyenas ran, they passed Tantor, still stuck in the hole, as he asked, "Terk? Are you out there? Or are you all eaten?"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Pumbaa and Tarzan were tracking a blue Rhino beetle: the prize among insects. While playing a round of bug-ball, Pumbaa had accidentally eaten the beetle they were using, so Tarzan suggested that the two could find a new beetle to use for the ball, given Tarzan's good eyesight and Pumbaa's sense of smell being one of the strongest in Africa. They had managed to track it from the rainforest all the way to the eastern savannas on the border. As it turned, however, the duo hid behind an Acacia tree, knowing that it could fly away at any second if it saw them. As it resumed its walk, the warthog and hairless ape resumed the hunt, when suddenly, the former heard the sound of startled birds flying from the long grass behind them.

Startled, Pumbaa turned around and asked, "Hmm? Timon?"

"Something wrong?" Tarzan asked.

"I thought I sensed something..." the warthog muttered, looking for any spots of trouble. Seeing nothing, he shrugged and said, "Guess not."

Tarzan helped Pumbaa over the log, and they resumed the hunt. Just when they finally had the beetle cornered, Tarzan's focus switched from the beetle to something he could see on the horizon.

"What's that in the grass?" He asked, pointing to what he was seeing. Through the long grass in the distance, the warthog could make out what Tarzan sensed: something was indeed following them, and he knew exactly what it was by the shape of it. Pumbaa screamed in terror while a lioness charged straight at him, claws unsheathed; fangs barred. The two soon bolted back into the rainforest, trying to get away from the predator. Tarzan looked to his friend and said, "Pumbaa, hang on! I'll get help!" He then rushed off and shouted, "Timon, help!"

Hearing his simian friend's voice, Timon looked around and asked, "Tarzan?"

All the while, Pumbaa continued to flee, with the lioness in hot pursuit. She chased him around the base of a great tree, as he tried to lose her. Tarzan, meanwhile, was lucky he still remembered how to climb trees and swing from vines. In fact, it was fair to say that both of these skills he managed to improve over the past two years.

Timon darted across the forest floor, shouting out, "Tarzan! Pumbaa!"

Finally, Tarzan managed to jump down from the mahogany tree he swung to, and found the meerkat.

"Timon! You gotta help! Something's chasing us!" He shouted, scared out of his wits.

Confused, Timon asked, "Chasing you? What happened with getting a new ball?!" All of a sudden, Pumbaa darted out of the underbrush and got himself stuck in the arch of one of the tree's roots, panicked beyond reason. The little meerkat asked their friend, "Pumbaa! Hey, what's goin' on?"

"**_SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!_**" yelled the terrified warthog

"Huh?" Timon leapt up on the root and saw the lioness running straight towards them, ready to kill, "Whoa!" He leapt down and told their simian friend, "Tarzan, I'll push; you pull!"

"Gotcha!" Tarzan grabbed Pumbaa by the tusks, and began pulling as hard as he could to get his porcine friend unstuck. "C'mon Pumbaa!" He muttered.

Timon leapt down and began pushing his friend's hindquarters out of the root. As he pushed he asked, "Geez, why do I always have to save your _**AAAAAHHHH!**_" At that moment, the big cat was close enough to pounce at them. Yet before the lioness could finish them off, Simba leapt over the tree root and roared at the intruder, startling her. A fight broke out between the two lions. Tarzan looked on with determination, hoping that Simba would come out alright and scare this other lion away.

"Yes!" Tarzan muttered, glad that Simba was able to save them in the nick of time.

Timon only looked at Pumbaa and told him, "Don't worry, buddy. We're here for ya. Everything's gonna be okay!" He then looked up and told Simba, "Get her! Bite her head!" Yet Simba's instincts took over. He was in tune to fighting to save his friends. As the lioness slashed his mane, he retaliated. Timon shouted, "Go for the jugular! The jugular!" Then he went back down to Pumbaa and Tarzan and said, "See, I told ya he'd come in handy." Simba then pounced on the lioness, trying to pin her to the ground. Yet she kicked him in the abdomen and pinned him instead. The lion only widened his eyes in shock. There was only one lioness who was capable of pinning him down so easily.

He looked up at the snarling lioness and asked her, "Nala!?" At this, she was equally shocked that this male knew her name; she backed off, allowing Simba to rise to his feet and ask, "Is...Is it really you?"

"Who _are_ you?" Nala asked back, confused as to why this strange lion would know her somehow.

With a smile, he told her, "It's me, Simba."

"Simba?"

Simba's nod was all that was needed for Nala to recognize her cubhood friend. The two lions both let out a mutual shout of excitement as they bumped heads together and began acting very playful.

"Well how did you?"

"How did you...who...wow!"

"Where did you come from?"

"This is cool! It's great to see you!"

"It's great to see _YOU_."

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Timon asked as he leapt down from the tree root and made his way over towards the two lions. He was utterly baffled by what he just saw. From one moment, the two were fighting, and now they were acting as if all was well between them.

"What're you doing here?"

"What do you mean, 'What am_ I_ doing here'? What are _you_ doing here?"

Seeing as his first attempt was ignored, Timon shouted, "**_HEY! WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!?_**"

Simba finally snapped out of his self-contained excitement when he heard Timon's shout. Tarzan joined just at that moment as Simba told the two, "Timon, Tarzan, this is Nala; she's my best friend."

"Whoa, your friend?" Tarzan asked enthusiastically.

"Yeah," Simba replied, then he turned to Pumbaa and called out, "Hey, Pumbaa! Come over here!" The warthog pulled himself out of the root and made his way over to meet the lioness who, near moments ago, tried to eat him. Simba then introduced the two, saying, "Nala, this is Pumbaa. Pumbaa, Nala."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said Pumbaa, glad that this lioness was a friend of Simba.

"Pleasure's all mine," replied Nala.

Yet then, Timon, still confused of what transpired blurted out, "Whoa! Whoa! Timeout! Let me get this straight: You know her; she knows you, but she wants to eat him. And, everybody's okay with this?" He then jumped up and asked, "Did I miss something!?"

"Oh Timon, just relax," Tarzan chuckled.

Nala looked at Simba and said, "Wait till everyone finds out that you've been here all this time! And your mother...what will she think?"

"She doesn't have to know..." Simba replied, "Nobody has to know."

"Well of course they do. Everyone thinks you're dead," Nala confessed.

"They do?"

"Yeah. Scar told us about the stampede."

"He did? Well...what else did he tell you?"

"What else matters? You're alive. And that means... you're the king!"

Tarzan and Pumbaa felt their jaws drop as soon as they heard the news: Simba was a king all this time!?

"A King!?" Tarzan asked, utterly shocked by Nala's words. Yet it soon explained that night when Simba explained what he thought of the stars.

"King!?" Timon scoffed, refusing to believe this fact, "Pfft! Lady, have you got your lions crossed?"

"King!" Pumbaa muttered, feeling humbled by the thought. He dropped to his hind knees and said, "Your majesty, I gravel at your feet." He began kissing Simba's paw repeatedly before the lion withdrew it.

"Stop that."

"It's not gravel, it's grovel," explained Timon, "And don't. He's not the king." He then looked to Simba and asked the lion, "Are ya?"

"No,"

"Simba!"

Simba turned to Nala and declared as he began to walk a few paces, "No, I'm not the king! Maybe I was gonna be, but... that was a long time ago."

"Hold on, Simba," said Tarzan, "You were gonna be a king, and never told us?"

"Look, I'm still the same lion," Simba told his friends.

Timon raised his fist and added on with enthusiasm, "But with power!"

"Can you guys excuse us for a few minutes?" Nala asked the trio.

"Sure," said Tarzan, then he looked to the meerkat and warthog and asked, "You guys coming?"

"Hey, whatever she has to say, she can say in front of us. Right Simba?" Timon asked the male lion.

Simba knew that he and Nala had a lot of catching up to do. Sensing the mood, he only said, "Maybe you'd better go with Tarzan..."

Timon and Pumbaa were both aghast at their leonine friend's response. What in the world was the lioness up to? For all they knew, she would drive a wedge in the heart of their Hakuna Matata.

Resigned, Timon finally said as he walked away, "It starts. You think you know a guy."

As he walked on, Pumbaa sighed in despair, he and Tarzan following the meerkat.

Once the trio were out of sight, Simba muttered, "Timon and Pumbaa, you learn to love 'em." He was glad at least Tarzan was able to respect his friend's request. Nala hung her head and turned past him. "What? Nala, what is it?" Simba asked, concerned.

"It's like you're back from the dead," she confessed, looking up at her oldest friend, and raised her tear-filled eyes to his own. "You don't know how much this will mean to everyone... What it means to me."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay."

Nala rubbed her head under Simba's chin and began purring; she said, "I really missed you."

Simba was initially startled by Nala's bold initiative, but smiled as he returned the favor. He began purring back as he told her, "I missed you too."

In the light of the setting sun, the two lions just enjoyed each other's company as they rubbed heads together, purring loudly. After two whole years apart, they finally were reunited.

From two bushes, Timon and Pumbaa only looked on at the sight.

Timon heaved a heavy sigh and muttered, "I tell you, Pumbaa, this stinks!"

"Oh…sorry," Pumbaa replied, thinking the meerkat meant his gas.

"Not you, _them_." Timon explained, indicating Simba and Nala, as they walked off into the rainforest, "Him, her…alone."

"What's wrong with that?" Pumbaa asked.

"_I can see what's happening_"

"What?"

"_And they don't have a clue!_"

"Who?"

"_They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line:_

_ It's Tarzan, me and you._"

"Oh."

"_Ze__ sweet caress of twilight_

_There's magic everywhere,_

_And with all this romantic atmosphere,_

_Disaster's in the air!_"

Meanwhile, Simba and Nala made their way down to a secluded lake, complete with a stunning waterfall and rock stairway leading towards the lake. With the sun setting behind them, the mood was just perfect. The air was nice and cool, especially as they walked on the rocks that led underneath the waterfall, and soon they began to walk around each other, taking in each other's movements.

_Can you feel the love tonight?_

_The peace the evening brings?_

_The world, for once, in perfect harmony_

_With all its living things._

As the two lions stopped to drink, each had their own thoughts about one another. Simba glanced at Nala as he thought what he should say,

_'So many things to tell her,_

_But how to make her see?_

_The truth about my past? Impossible._

_She'd turn away from me.' _

Nala stopped drinking and looked up at her cubhood friend, wondering what was wrong with him and why he wasn't the same cub she remembered. Something was up, and she knew it.

_'He's holding back, he's hiding_

_But what? I can't decide._

_Why won't he be the king I know he is?_

_The king I see inside?'_

All these thoughts were racing through her head as she saw Simba smile at her, looking into her eyes, as he then ran past her. She curiously wondered what he could be up to, before Simba returned, with a vine in his mouth and jumped into the lake. Nala looked down into the water for any sign of him. Suddenly, Simba surfaced underneath her, and playfully dragged her in. Instantly she got out with a gasp, shocked by the cold plunge, and miffed that he would actually do something like that at his age. Simba only came out, just as drenched, to which she gave a playful smirk and pushed him back in.

_Can you feel the love tonight?_

_The peace the evening brings?_

_The world, for once, in perfect harmony_

_With all its living things._

The two soon began chasing one another through the long grass, startling a few egrets along the way. By the time they reached the bamboo forest, they began play-fighting with one another, as if they were still cubs. In the thrill of the moment, they ended up tumbling down a hill, and when they reached the bottom, Simba finally was able to pin Nala. As he laughed from the adrenaline rush, Nala took the opportunity to give a tiny lick on his cheek. Initially startled by the kiss, he looked down at her, seeing the seductive smile on her face, looking right into his eyes. In that instant, he understood what she wanted, smiling back at her with that same look. Then, as they leaned into one another, the two lions rubbed heads together. Timon's prediction was true; they did end up falling in love.

_Can you feel the love tonight?_

_You needn't look too far._

_Steeling through the night's uncertainties_

_Love is where they are._

From afar, Timon and Pumbaa looked on, believing their happiness to be shattered by what was transpiring.

Timon, depressed by this turn of events, sang, "And_ if he falls in love tonight,_

_It can be assumed." _

Then, he hugged Pumbaa, who returned the embrace, understanding exactly what Nala's presence meant to him.

The warthog then added, _"His carefree days with us are history."_

_"In short, our pal is doomed."_ They both declared, silent only for a moment before they started bawling full-force. Yet Tarzan only was still shook by the events of the day. From nearly losing Pumbaa, to finding out that Simba was actually a king, it was too much for him to process. So, he went off into the rainforest, believing that maybe picking some fruit would make him feel better. Yet he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart. He missed Terk and Tantor, and his family, but despite this, he was at least happy for Simba. What he did not know was that he was about to have a reunion as well.

* * *

A/N: So, after several updates to the previous chapter later, more fun with Terk and Tantor, and the appearance of Nala! In case any of you were unfamiliar with the whole "bug-ball" backstory, there was a deleted scene in The Lion King where Timon, Pumbaa and an adult Simba were playing a version of football, which lasted 20 seconds. It was cut out of the final film, but Disney made up for it in The Lion King 1.5, but I still thought that it was cool and decided to throw that information in as a bit of an Easter egg. I also had to do a ton of research for mapping out the area. Now, the Lualaba River and the other rivers and lakes mentioned, are all real locations in Central Africa, specifically the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On the subject of Easter eggs. You may have noticed some similarities with Terk trying to escape the hyenas. As for Timon and Pumbaa's first verse in _Can You Feel the Love Tonight?_, I originally was going for:

_"I can tell what's happening"_

"What?"

"_And they don't even see!"_

"Who?"

_"They'll fall in love, and here's the bottom line:_

_Our quartet's down to three."_

However, sometimes, you just can't beat the OG version. Anyway, let me know what you guys think! Fave, follow and review, and as always, stay tuned for the next chapter! The next few ones are certainly going to be epic...


	7. Chapter7

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! TARZAN AND THE LION KING BELONG TO WALT DISNEY PICTURES**

* * *

Chapter 7: Decisions...

Meanwhile, back at the Elephant Graveyard atop Dark Mountain, Tantor was still stuck in the hole he'd landed in. By now, the hyenas were long gone, but he still didn't know what happened in that time.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" He called out, but got no answer. He tried again, still receiving no answer. Yet just when he was about to resign himself to the thought of remaining there forever, he felt a snag on his hindquarters. Startled, and then terrified as he felt himself being pulled, the elephant calf screamed, "Something's got me. It's the Zugor! Oh, goodbye cruel jungle world. I'm doomed! **_DOOMED__!_**"

"Doomed to be a coconut head," said a familiar voice behind him. Freed from the hole he was stuck in, Tantor looked behind him, and saw the same spunky female gorilla he knew and loved like a sister.

"Terk?" He asked, smiling at her.

Terk only laughed and replied, "The one and only." She then pulled his trunk and said, "Now c'mon! We've gotta get outta here before those hyenas show up again. Whatever you do, just look at me or the ground." Tantor only did as she said, and the two began their escape. They ran as fast as they could, Terk trying her best to lead Tantor out via the path with the least amount of elephant bones he'd be able to see. Yet as they turned a corner, _CRASH_! They both collided with something, causing them to land flat on their backs. When they recovered their senses, they all couldn't believe who they ran into.

"Terk? Tantor?" Tarzan asked in initial disbelief as he recovered his senses.

At the sight of him, they exclaimed in unison, "Tarzan! You're alive!"

Terk began sniffling as she and Tantor pulled him in for an embrace. It was obvious that she missed him more than anything from how she was trying to stifle back her tears of joy.

"We thought you were dead," she explained, after having calmed herself down, "But then Tantor..."

"Heard you yell," continued the elephant calf, "but when we got to Dark Mountain, the Zugor..." Terk imitated the cackling they heard, to set the scene. Tantor continued, "And then those three hyenas..." As he tried to explain, Terk gnashed her teeth, like when the hyenas were chasing her. Finally Tantor flopped onto his front and tried his best to hide, as he finished, "And then I got stuck in a hole, and Terk got eaten. Uh... sort of..."

"Wait a minute, those hyenas are after you?" Tarzan asked, knowing that it had been two years since he escaped them.

Terk nodded and said, "Yeah. We lost 'em for now, but they'll probably be back at any moment."

"C'mon! Follow me," Tarzan told his cousin and best friend, and pulled Tantor's trunk in one hand and Terk's arm in the other, "We gotta find Simba! You're gonna love him!"

* * *

On that same evening, Kala was finally able to make her way around Dark Mountain. She knew of the dangers that awaited once any animal was trapped there, and rightly assumed that Tarzan managed to reach the opposite side of the mountain. Yet as she reached a vantage point, she heard a strange giggling from behind the ferns. She turned to see if anything was behind her, and initially saw nothing. However, Gozan, Chulk and Taug fell frontwards, revealing that they followed her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked them, "I thought I told you to stay home."

"We're bored of staying home," explained Taug.

Chulk then added, "_And_ we like monkey berries."

"We're not looking for monkey berries," said Gozan, "We're helping Auntie Kala look for Tarzan."

"But we might find some," Taug commented.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Kala told them, "All right, but stay close."

As the four gorillas continued their journey, they had no idea that Sabor managed to catch every word of what Gozan said. She raced ahead of them through the treetops, and finally landed down in front of them. Upon seeing Sabor, Kala barred her teeth in anger, believing the leopardess to be hungry. The three babies hid close behind her.

"It's alright," said Sabor as she sheathed her claws, "Kala, I know you don't trust me, but I can help you find Tarzan."

"Where is he?" Kala asked, still suspicious of the leopardess' intentions.

"I found him crying underneath my tree two years ago," she explained as she hung her head, "Believe me, I know what it's like to lose a son... I tried cheering him up by..." she paused and instantly her eyes widened in fear. She'd heard all about what happened in the past two years since she met Tarzan. Instantly she turned to Kala and told her, "I think he's in danger. We've gotta hurry!"

Kala asked Sabor, "Where could he have gone?"

"Only one place I know he could have," Sabor replied, "My old home..." Instantly they all ran off to the east in an unlikely alliance. '_One of these days, that boy is gonna be the death of me!_' Sabor thought as she ran, leading the way.

* * *

Meanwhile, having acknowledged their love for one another, Simba and Nala decided to enjoy the jungle at night. Yet the lioness still felt uneasy about how her mate was coming off now.

"Isn't this a fantastic place?" Simba asked her, noticing her concern.

"It _is_ beautiful, I'll give it that," said Nala, "But I don't understand something. You've been alive _all_ this time. Why didn't you come back to Pride Rock?"

Simba jumped into a set of vines to rest from and replied, "Well I just needed to...get out on my own; live my own life. And I did, and it's great."

Despite trying to convince both her and himself, Nala could see that Simba was still feeling uneasy about returning with her.

"We've really needed you at home," she said solemnly.

Simba looked away and told her, "Nobody needs me."

"Yes, we _do_!" she told him, "You're the _King_."

"Nala, we've already been through this. I'm not the king, Scar is."

Nala placed her hands on the vines and said, "Simba, he let the hyenas take over the Pride Lands."

"What?" Simba asked, shocked that something like that could happen.

"Everything's destroyed," she revealed, "There's no food; no water. Simba, if you don't do something soon, then everyone will starve."

"I can't come back..."

"_Why_?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"_What_ wouldn't I understand?"

"No, really. It doesn't matter...Hakuna Matata."

"_What_?"

"Hakuna Matata. It's something Tarzan and I learned out here," "Look, sometimes bad things happen..."

"_Simba_!"

"And there's nothing you can do about it. So why worry?"

"Because it's your _responsibility_!"

"Well what about you? YOU left."

"I left because I had to find help! And I found YOU. Don't you even _understand_? You're our only hope."

"Sorry..."

Nala just stood there in pure disbelief and asked, "What's happened to you? You're not the Simba I remember."

"You're right, I'm not. Now are you satisfied?"

"No, but I am disappointed,"

"Y'know, you're starting to sound like my father."

"Good. At least _one_ of us does."

Simba couldn't stand it any longer. He loved her, yes, but Nala had no idea what he suffered.

He turned to face her and said, "Listen! You think you can just show up and tell me how to live my life!? You don't even know what I've been through!"

"I would if you'd just _tell_ me!"

"Forget it!"

"_Fine_!"

Nala turned her head away in frustration, while Simba ran off. She couldn't believe that Simba would hold his father in such contempt, that he did not want to be king, as he desired since cubhood. What happened that led him to be like this? Her train of thought was shattered when a voice came out from behind her.

"Tantor, would you move it already? Those hyenas could've ambushed us by now!"

In a flash, Nala turned to see Terk, Tantor and Tarzan land in the pool below. Immediately she went down to check the situation of the hairless ape.

"Did we make it?"

"Yep, we'll be safe here." "Boy, I sure missed you guys."

"We missed you too, cousin," said Terk, smiling back at him, "That's why we came to bring you home."

"I'm not coming home."

Shocked, the gorilla female asked, "You're not?"

"Nope, _Hakuna Matata_."

"_Hakuna Matata_? What does that mean?" Tantor asked, just as confused as Terk was.

"It means, no worries, for the rest of my days."

"But what about your mom?"

"She's better off without me..." "And I can't go back. Besides, we've got Simba around in case those hyenas show up."

"Well...who _is_ this Simba monster anyways?"

"I told you, he's _not_ a monster," Tarzan explained, "He's a lion." Upon seeing Nala, he swam to her direction and asked her, "Nala, where's Simba?"

"Off somewhere in those plains," she said, coming down to the lake. She could see that something was definitely troubling the boy, just as Simba was now. She looked at him sympathetically and said, "But your friends are right, Tarzan. No matter where you go, you'll always have those who love and care for you, even if you believe otherwise."

Tarzan looked up at her and asked, "Really?"

Nala smiled at the boy and nodded, looking off at the direction her mate traveled in, "I just wish Simba would understand that now... He was always this stubborn, even as a cub."

Tarzan took the moment to ask, "So, what _was_ Simba like when you knew him? He never spoke about his past."

"Oh, _that_ takes me back..." Nala replied with a giggle. Even as she began to explain how Simba was as a cub, she remembered it as if it were just recently, "No matter what anyone told him, he was headstrong, cheeky, and impulsive, but he was also brave, and willing to fight to protect the ones he loved. He was just eager to be king of the Pride Lands one day..."

* * *

She recalled how, one day, as cubs, they began their adventure to the Elephant Graveyard, but Simba's mother, the queen, placed the majordomo, a hornbill named Zazu, to look after them, and they began discussing how to ditch him. Especially after falling in love tonight, Nala realized that in all those two years apart, Zazu was finally right about her and Simba.

"Oh, just look at you two," Zazu told them as he flew down, "Little seeds of romance blossoming in the savannah. Your parents will be _thrilled_...what, with your being betrothed and all."

"Be-_what_?" Simba asked.

Zazu continued, "Betrothed, intended, affianced."

Nala glanced at her friend and then asked Zazu, "Meaning...?"

"One day, you two are going to be _married_!" explained the hornbill. At this, the two cubs immediately expressed their disgust at the thought of marrying each other

"I can't marry her!" Simba protested, "She's my friend!"

"Yeah, and it'd be so weird," Nala added.

"Well, sorry to _burst_ your _bubble_, but you two turtledoves have no choice," Zazu explained, while failing to note that Simba was quietly mimicking him behind his back, "It's a tradition going back _generations._"

Simba only smiled and declared, "Well, when _I'm_ king, _t__hat'll_ be the _first_ thing to go."

"Not so long as _I'm_ around."

"Well, in that case, you're fired."

"Hmm, nice try. However, only the _king_ can do that."

"Well, he _is_ the crown prince," said Nala, remarking how Simba was next in line for the throne.

"Yeah! So you have to do what I tell you." Simba commanded, poking the hornbill in the chest.

At this, Zazu sternly told Simba, "Not _yet_, I don't. And with an attitude like _that_, I'm afraid you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic king indeed."

"Hmph! Not the way _I_ see it..." said Simba, a smug grin on his face. Then he leapt forward towards Zazu, backing him up towards a log as he sang, "_I'm gonna be a mighty king,_

_So enemies beware!"_

"Well I've never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair." Zazu replied, pulling himself out of a hole in the log while plucking one of Simba's hairs.

The cub then wore a mane of leaves, shaking his head from side to side as he sang, "_I'm gonna be the mane event,_

_Like no king was before!"_

Then he climbed up a log, right in front of Zazu, as he continued, _"I'm brushin' up on lookin' down,_

_I'm workin' on my ROAR!_"

As Simba roared, he caused Zazu to fall off the branch he was perched on and into a pool of mud.

"Thus far, a rather uninspiring thing..." Zazu muttered as he blew his nose into what he thought was a leaf, but was actually the ear of an elephant. The massive beast then whacked him across the waterhole, as Simba and Nala ran in pursuit, scaring a flock of flamingoes in the process

"_Oh I just can't wait to be king!" _Simba exclaimed as they skidded with a splash.

Having managed to recover himself, Zazu caught up with the cubs amongst some papyrus reeds, telling Simba, "You've a rather long way to go, young master, if you _think_..."

Yet as the hornbill tried to explain what they were thinking, Simba and Nala sang off and on, while making humorous faces at the bird.

"_No one saying do this_"

"Now, when I said that, I..."

"_No one saying be there_"

"What I meant was..."

"_No one saying stop that_"

"But what you don't realise"

"_No one saying see here~!_"

"Now _see here!_"

Zazu saw the cubs riding two ostriches as he sat amongst the reeds.

Simba looked back and sang, "_We don't run around all day_"

"Well, that's definitely out." The hornbill muttered as he took flight.

"_Free to do it all my way!_"

Zazu flew as fast as he could, weaving in and out of the sparse trees that littered the Pride Lands' savannas, trying his best to catch up to the cubs. This was a challenge, as ostriches were known to be fast runners, but not as fast as a cheetah.

When he finally caught up to them, he told Simba, looking back at him and oblivious to where he was flying, "_I think it's time, that you and I_

_Arranged a heart to heart..."_

_WHAM!_ He ended up flying straight into a rhino grazing.

_"Kings don't need advice_

_From little hornbills, for a start." _The cub sang as he and Nala rode off on their ostriches

Recovering from the crash landing, Zazu flew onto the branch of what he thought was a tree, but was actually a log floating down towards a waterfall. As the log flowed closer he declared, _"If this is where the monarchy is headed,_

_Count me out!_

_Out of service, out of Africa_

_I wouldn't hang about!"_ He let out a yell of shock once he fell over, but quickly flew back up the waterfall after Simba and Nala. Soon, even he began singing, "_This cub is getting wildly out of wing..."_

Meanwhile, a corridor of zebras lined in at attention as Simba and Nala trotted down.

_"Oh I just can't wait to be king!" _Sang the crown prince. As they passed through the corridor of zebras, the two cubs soon began jumping between the footsteps of a herd of elephants underfoot, while Zazu flew overhead, hoping to spot them, flying past even sable antelope and hippos as well. Yet he failed to notice that Simba was now rising the head of a giraffe. As the lion cub sang, the poor hornbill was trampled twice by a variety of animals:

_"Everybody look left;_

_Everybody look right." _

Simba then began jumping up a ladder of giraffe heads before sliding down one's neck in a theatrical pose as he sang,

_Everywhere you look, I'm_

_Standing in the spotlight!"_

"Not. Yet!" Zazu yelled, trying to shove his way between the hindquarters of a giraffe and zebra, but was crushed soon after.

Simba then whispered into a hippo's ear to pass on a secret instruction; the hippo passed it onto a giraffe, who passed it onto two vervet monkeys in a nearby tree.

_Let every creature go for broke and sing_

As Zazu dusted himself off, the two monkeys took hold of him and threw him up into the treetops, grooming him for knits while a herd of giraffes threw Simba and Nala up into the air, much to the cubs' delight.

_Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing,_

_It's gonna be King Simba's finest fling_

_(Ah Yeah!)_

At that point, a tower of animals dominated the waterhole, with an elephant base layer, followed by hippos, giraffes, aardvarks, sable antelope, and at the top, riding an ostrich, were Simba and Nala, singing in unison: 

_"Oh I just can't wait to be king!_

_Oh I just can't wait to be king!_

_Oh I just can't waaaaaait ... to be king!"_

As they sang, the tower soon began to collapse at the base. The ostrich hit a few of the aardvarks, while two giraffes got their necks tangled up. An elephant landed on a sable antelope's horns and trumpeted in pain, and the cause of the tower's collapse was made evident. Zazu tried picking up the same rhino he flew into earlier, but she sat right on top of him. 

As the animals dispersed, he said, "I beg your pardon madam, but...get **_OFF!!_** Simba! Nala!!"

* * *

Tarzan was awash with how Nala described those days. In his eyes, the Simba she knew was still there, somewhere.

"And then, when the clan matriarch nearly had me," Nala continued, "He came to my rescue, and even slashed her across the cheek."

Tarzan only asked in amazement, "So Simba managed to protect you from the hyenas all by himself?"

Nala laughed and replied, "He was the bravest lion I ever knew..." Terk was enthralled with the tales of how Simba, even as a cub, was a lot like she was now. She felt that the two would have gotten along well if they'd met during his cubhood.

"Hey, I think he still is," said Tarzan, "He just can't see it, is all."

* * *

Meanwhile, Simba was pacing angrily in the savanna, still trying to defend himself after Nala's scolding.

"She's wrong. I can't go back," he muttered, "What would it prove anyway? It won't change a thing. You can't change the past..." Simba looked back up at the stars, his father's words still echoing in his head. At the sight of the constellation Leo, he yelled, "You said you'd always be there for me!" The lion then hung his head, and quietly continued, "But you're not...and it's because of _me_. It's my fault...It's all my fault..." Simba was nearly on the verge of tears, when all of a sudden, he heard a strange chanting nearby from one of the trees:

"_Asante sana!_

_Squash banana!_

_We we nugu!_

_Mi mi apana!_

_Asante sana!_

_Squash banana!_

_We we nugu!_

_Mi mi apana!" _

Simba turned around and saw Rafiki in a tree, chanting the tune. Annoyed that he couldn't spend time alone, he wandered off towards a small creek. Yet Rafiki only chuckled and watched the lion. He had to let him know what he was meant for.

Finding a log that acted as a bridge over a nearby creek, Simba looked down, trying to earn some solace, but as he was getting settled in, trying to figure out what he should do when Hakuna Matata didn't work, a pebble broke the water's surface, and much to his chagrin, that same chant was heard.

"_Asante sana!_

_Squash banana!_

_We we nugu!_

_Mi mi apana!" _Rafiki had managed to shadow Simba's movements to another tree.

"C'mon, will you cut it out?" Simba asked, as he got up to leave.

Rafiki got down from the tree and replied, "Can't cut it out. It'll grow right back!" He then laughed as he caught up to the irritated lion.

"Creepy little monkey...will you stop _following_ me!?" Simba asked, unable to shake off the mandrill. Fed up, he then asked, "Who _are_ you?"

Rafiki countered by asking, "The question is, _Whoo_ are _you?_"

This startled Simba for a brief moment. No one had asked him that question before, not since he came to the rainforest. To this, he couldn't figure out an answer. He wasn't a king, or even the carefree lion he was when Tarzan, Timon and Pumbaa rescued him.

"I _thought_ I knew," he answered with a sigh, "Now I'm not so sure."

"Well, I know who you are," Rafiki told him, then he brought him close and said, "Shh. Come here. It's a secret." Once he had the lion in earshot, he started up his chant once more: "_Asante sana!_

_Squash banana!_

_We we nugu!_

_Mi mi apana!_"

"Enough already! What's that supposed to mean anyway!?" Simba asked, irritated greatly at this point.

Rafiki turned as he explained, "It means 'You're a baboon. And I'm not!'." He then laughed, much to Simba's annoyance on avoiding the subject.

The lion turned to walk away, telling the mandrill, "I think... you're a little confused."

"_Wrong,_" Rafiki told him, pointing his finger right at Simba's nose, "I'm not the one who's confused; you don't even know _who_ you are."

"Oh, and I suppose _you_ know, wouldn't you?" Simba asked sarcastically.

Rafiki looked at him and said, "Sure do; you're Mufasa's boy." Immediately upon hearing his father's name, Simba froze in his tracks. He was stunned by the fact that this mandrill knew who his father was. Yet as he turned, Rafiki only smiled at him and said, "...Bye!" Then he took off.

"Hey! Wait!" Simba called out as he ran after the baboon, desperately hoping to find out what he meant. When he managed to catch up, the mandrill was seated in a lotus meditative position, his eyes closed, but still awake. Simba looked up at the rock he was sitting on and asked, "You knew my father?"

"Correction: I _know_ your father," said Rafiki, in a monotone voice.

Simba's eyes darted away as he said, "I hate to tell you this, but he died...a long time ago."

"Nope, Wrong again." The old baboon exclaimed as he whipped out his Bakora staff and leapt off the rock, laughing as he made his way towards a patch of brush untouched by drought. Then he turned to Simba and declared, "He's _alive_! And I'll show him to you. You follow old Rafiki, he knows the way. Come on!" Then he rushed off into the undergrowth of the forest. Simba was initially hesitant about this, but if Rafiki was telling the truth, perhaps it was worth investigating. He followed suit, struggling to keep up as the mandrill told him, "Don't dawdle, _hurry up_!"

"Hey! Whoa, wait up!" Simba told him, squeezing through thick bushes and undergrowth to keep up the pace.

"Come on! Come on!" Rafiki shouted, encouraging him as he swung through the treetops from vines.

"Could you slow down?" Simba asked, watching as he ran through the bushes and vines that Rafiki was performing enough aerial leaps and bounds to make even Tarzan jealous. The mandrill whooped and hollered as he continued to lead Simba towards the location, which seemed to be just up ahead.

"_STOP_!" Rafiki stated, his hand right in front of Simba, as he came to a halt just inches in front of the monkey. The royal mjuzi brought his finger to his lips, indicating that this was a momentous occasion. Then he cleared some reeds with his bakora staff and whispered, "_Look down there_."

Simba made his way out of the underbrush, heeding Rafiki's instructions. Past the reeds, he found a small pool of water; when he looked, he was initially shocked at how much older he looked, but only for a moment.

"That's not my father..." he said with a sigh, "It's just my reflection."

"Noo...look _harder," _said Rafiki, pointing to the pool. All at once, the surface of the water began to change, and where he once saw his own reflection, Simba now saw the unthinkable as he heard Rafiki explain behind him, "You see...he lives in _you_."

He saw the reflection of his father, Mufasa in the water, glowing as bright as the sun. Yet as this began to sink in, a thunderous boom called out to him.

The boom echoed: "**_Simba_...**" Instantly the lion recognized it as a voice he knew all his cubhood.

"Father?" Simba looked up and was astonished. The ghost of his own father, King Mufasa, appeared in the clouds. He had joined the Great Kings of the Past in death, and thus earned his rightful place amongst the stars.

The great king looked down upon his son and despairingly said, "**Simba, you have forgotten me.**"

"No. How could I?" Simba asked, not wanting to believe that he had forgotten his own father deliberately.

"**You have forgotten who you are, and so have forgotten me,**" Mufasa explained to his son, "**Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have _become_. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.**"

Simba begged his father, "How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be."

"**_Remember who you are._ You are my son, and the one true king.**" At those words, Simba looked up at his father's image in both shock and awe. He finally realized what he needed to do while tears formed on his eyes. "**_Remember who you are_...**"

"No! Please! Don't leave me!"

"**_Remember_...**"

"Father!"

"**_Remember_...**"

"Don't leave me."

"**_Remember_...**"

"What was THAT?" Rafiki asked as he approached, " The weather- _Pbbbah_! Very peculiar. Don't you think?"

"Yeah," Simba replied, looking back at the sky, "It seems the winds are changing."

"Ah. Change is good."

"Yeah, but it's not easy," replied the lion, still unsure of what to do, "I know what I have to do, but going back means I'll have to face my past; I've been running from it for so long." Seeing this, Rafiki only whacked Simba on the head with his bakora staff. "Ow! Jeez! What was that for!?" Asked Simba

Rafiki merely exclaimed with a laugh, "It doesn't matter; it's in the past!"

"Yeah, but it still hurts."

"Oh yes, the past can hurt," said the mandrill, placing his hand on Simba's shoulder in sympathy, then he explained, "But the way I see it you can either run from it, or...learn from it." He swung his staff a second time, but this time, Simba was able to duck out of the way. Jubilant, Rafiki then asked, "HA! You see? So what are you going to do?"

"First, I'm gonna take your stick," Simba said as he bit the staff in his mouth and threw it some paces away.

"No! No! No! No! Not the staff!" Rafiki shouted as he ran to catch his Bakora staff. When he caught it and turned, Simba had began to run eastwards. He only asked. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Looking at the mandrill, Simba exclaimed, "I'm going back!"

"Good! Go on! Get out of here!" Rafiki shouted back, whooping and hollering in joy. The true king of the Pride Lands was coming back home to reclaim his throne, and restore the Circle of Life to its proper balance.

* * *

A/N: And so it begins! The flashback of Napa's seemed appropriate for the scene, as we get to see a glimpse of Simba's life before he met Timon and Pumbaa.


End file.
